The Bent Page

This signpost stands on the edge of Palm Beach, Aruba, on the promenade by the Radisson Hotel. Check out all those places and distances. Maybe your home city is on there.

This post actually reminded me of the one that was frequently seen in episodes of MASH. I used to watch that show years ago. I remember the last episode and the one where the colonel died. They were poignant to say the least. These days I don’t watch much television so I don’t know if there is a comparable show on. For one thing, I despise these make-believe reality shows. Once in a while I’ll view pieces of the ones on Discovery like Deadliest Catch or Ice Road Truckers. Still, too much is over-dramatized. Please, there’s enough drama in the real world. You want to impress me, make me laugh. That’s a tough assignment.

Back to the signpost. It’d be nice if there were such things in life to point you in the right direction. Maybe there are. I can remember people giving me very good advice along the way (not that I always listened or heeded it). There are things like graduation ceremonies, promotions, demotions, epiphanies, and revelations. These are signposts of a certain kind. They mark a beginning or an end, deny or permit passage on to the next stage of life.

Perhaps the key is not so much to be looking for the sign, but rather to interpret it correctly when you find it. Believe it or not, there’s plenty of wisdom out there to be had. It comes in all forms from the Bible to your grandfather’s remarks. The question is, what do you do with it? What is important and what isn’t? That’s a more difficult assignment than the first one. And the trouble is, life keeps moving while you’re standing there contemplating your next move. There’s no “pause” button, no “rewind,” and certainly no “undo” function. Or maybe there is. After all, people reinvent themselves all the time. It takes courage and willpower to go down the right or wrong road and then make another turn without knowing exactly what the destination will be. The only thing that’s for certain is that it will be different. Whatever the case, it’s better than standing at the curb while the world passes by.