Crossroads…

Just a little Wednesday food for thought… I have been thinking about crossroads and how many of them we meet in our lives. 

The definition of Crossroads is: “a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences.” 

The definition quite literally, and a little intensely, explains itself. Gone are the simple days of my parents where you meet your life partner, get married, buy a house, have a family of your own at such a young age and live in a work/life balance til you’re old and grey. All the while not dealing with as many health issues as we do today and mother nature deteriorating at the same time. Nowadays we deal with so much. Different career changes, many heartbreaks, big moves to different cities, social pressures, mental health struggles, inequality and prejudice. Abuse and addiction. Challenges with our planet. All sorts of chemicals in our food. Many or multiple health issues, most that were never even a factor back in the day. It was definitely a simpler time in the years before. My parents bought their first house at a younger age then I am now for only $200,000. Sheesh, I would be so lucky to even find a house that would have a qualifying downpayment for that price! Well, in Toronto at least. My parents have been in their same careers for more than 20 years. I myself have dabbled in multiple careers more than I can count, although in total I have been a hair stylist for 14 years now, but still. Many of my peers have gone to university for careers they’re not even in now and have just begun to settle into the steadiness in their 30’s. People were having babies in their 20’s back in the day, now it’s mainly in their 30’s and early 40’s. Thank god I don’t want children, because that timeline is just another pressure in itself. It’s crazy how times differ so drastically and quite frankly seem to get harder and harder. From the 1950’s where smoking was all the rage. Not a thought in mind of how harmful cigarettes were to health. To the 60’s, where pop culture began. Television, radio, books and music were immersing into the world. Little did we know how much they would mean to us as the years went by. The people of the 60’s celebrated experimentation and other alternative lifestyles and rose against conformity which also spilled over to the 70’s, an era I would have loved to grow up in. There’s a quote by french writer Simone de Beauvoir that said “I was made for another planet altogether. I mistook the way.” That’s how I feel about the 1960’s/70’s. The 70’s were mainly about the fight for justice and equality, and many people in that era would band together for what’s right! Now we have multiple streams of bullies, online being the most significant. In the present it seems like it’s cool to be mean, which is totally unbelievable to me! I’m sorry but if someone is unpleasant or unkind, I definitely don’t want to be around them, let alone praise them for it. Sadly, these are the days we live in. People glorify attitude and cattiness. It’s like we regressed completely, in so many areas. People are finding it harder and harder to find serious long term life partners, good people, affordable housing, successful and fulfilling careers, quality friendships, equality. All the while struggling with mental health and health issues that weren’t really around before, therefore having us swerve upon so many crossroads. What is happening?! Of course in prior years there were many serious problems to deal with as well, but I feel like now we have them and then some! I myself have stumbled upon many crossroads in my journey, some of which were my own doing. The end of 2016 to 2018 was definitely a write off for me, I have just erased that part of my life from my memory lol BUT, I did learn many a life lesson that probably needed to be learned. So I guess that’s how I’m gonna view the crossroads of life. A change of direction leading me away from what’s not meant for me and directing me towards what is! All the life’s challenges we go through, whether it be horrible people we meet along the way, sad life events, career changes, ending of friendships, moves or heartbreak, are all little crossroads that build us as people. Making us stronger for the journey ahead and hopefully taking us to our happy ending, that is really just the beginning! 

Peace, love & follow the yellow brick road xo