Gheorghe | dreamstime.com

My adventurous self made an appearance late in life. Can a person feel nostalgia, rather than regret, for roads not taken? A bittersweet longing for situations in my past puts me back at crossroads—some where I paused and considered, and others that I sped through without seeing. I’m not sorry for the choices I made; I just wish I had made more of them.

“I didn’t know you liked to sing,” my mother said to me after I participated in a choral performance and coaxed her to attend. I thought about my grade school self that felt happy singing in the elective girls’ choir. I would be able to get so much more out of my vocal instrument if I had taken voice lessons.

My interest in travel has expanded beyond sightseeing. Knowing the history and experiencing the culture of a country involves me in far more exciting ways. I think about my university self looking at a notice posted on a bulletin board advertising a foreign study program. At the time I thought I can’t possibly afford that; I can barely afford my room and board as it is. I never gave it another thought.

I chose to work on a Masters degree in Mass Communications to further my career. What if I’d chosen an MFA program to further my passion?

Is there value in these ruminations? I hold them up in the palm of my memory, examine them and puff them away with a gentle exhale. Looking forward, I acknowledge that I no longer have the time to indulge my passions in lengthy study programs. Still, there are seminars and tours and workshops that will allow me to grow in the graces God affords me.

What do you enjoy today that causes you explore your crossroads? What are you going to do to keep the adventure alive?