mulligan

Mulligan: when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action.

The first time I heard this term was several years ago when I attempted to play a round of golf. Recently, I was asked a question that reminded me of this word...what is one thing in your past that you wish you could do over?

My response...I like this question, because it can be read from two different angles. The one that most people will take, something they regret that they wish they could do over. The one that I take...something that is so fun that I want to do it again.

For whatever reason, my experiences over the past few years have taught me to live without regret. I have definitely made mistakes. I have definitely burned some bridges, but I have also built ones that have led me to beautiful places.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. Choose Your Own Adventure was one of the most popular children's series during the 1980s and 1990s, selling over 250 million copies between 1979 and 1998.

I remember reading these books as a child. At certain points in the book, the reader is faced with a decision. Choice A will take you to one page and Choice B will take you to another. The story will end a different way depending on the decisions the reader has made along the way. Sometimes, I would cheat and look at both options, selecting the one that was most appealing. Wouldn’t it be nice if life worked in this fashion?

Lately, I’ve been finding myself saying “what if” about many situations that have unfolded over the past several months. What if...she had refused to leave...that woman never turned...it hadn’t rained that weekend...I called instead of sent that text...and the list goes on and on. I do this, knowing that it is completely futile. So, what is the point? Why am I wasting my time? Because it has taught me something.

Each decision we make takes us on a different trajectory. I think this holds true for most things in life, but I also think that sometimes, no matter what decision you make, you are eventually going to find yourself at the same end. It might have just taken you four or five extra steps along the way.