When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It

This is a quotation from a particularly interesting man, Yogi Berra. Yes, the baseball player. I find, what makes him so interesting and intriguing is that he's not trying to say anything profound or amusing but is simply being himself. He puts words together in ways that are meaningful for him but others often find his expressions quirky and odd. Among his more famous quotations we find "It Ain't Over Till It's Over", which almost everyone has heard. I know Yogie did not intend there to be hidden meetings in what he said but I find it fascinating to think about the different ways of interpreting his remarks. In a childlike naivete he has expressed that he doesn't understand why people find his expressions so unusual, "After all, I know what I meant". There is something exquisitely innocent about the way Yogie expresses what's going on in his mind. Of course, I never knew the man personally but his expressions suggest to me that he is a person who cares about people and is always delighted to share what's on his mind even though people often think he is just being zany.

The quotation above got me thinking that, in life, we all come to a lot of forks in the road. In my life I have decided to take Yogie's advice (although he didn't mean it this way). So when I come to a fork in the road, I take it. I have realized that this is the most sensible thing to do. The other alternative is to agonize over which is the "right" fork to take, to hesitate fearing the consequences of taking the "wrong" Fork. In so many cases, where the direction is not obvious, it is best just to realize that it is better to make a comitted choice rather than to get caught in the paralysis of indecision.

Although I may never eliminate entirely from my life the compulsion to be "right" and avoid making "wrong" decisions, remembering Yogie's expression helps may remember that action is usually preferable over inaction when I feel the anxiety and helplessness of indecision.