Two Women

From:
Scott P. Scheper
Coto de Caza, California
Saturday, 12:10 p.m.

Dear Friend,

There were two women traveling along a trail. Both of them were fifty years old. Both of them took the safe route in life. They opted for security. They worked at very "stable" jobs. And yet, every several years——due to either the economy or the company or their boss (or other circumstances)——they had to shift jobs.

This shift in their jobs caused a lot of stress at the time. However, just like most women, they kept their heads down and they silently did twice the work of their husbands. They worked, they raised fantastic kids. They had good families. One of them was married, the other was divorced. Both had built a good life for themselves.

However, Something Still Ate at Them

They had always opted for the "safe route" in life. They never went all-in on pursuing their fascinations. Why? Because they needed to make an income. They needed to help their husbands pay the bills. They needed to provide for their children and families.

Now, there they were walking along a path together in their fifties. To some, fifty may seem like a rather seasoned age. However, it is actually quite young. In this day and age, both of them could be looking at another 50 years on this planet. They were only halfway through life, and——as it so happened——as they trudged along the trail, they arrived at a fork in the road.

On the left side of the trail, they saw the future. The future on the left side entailed continuing on their current path in life. It was the status quo trail. They saw their next fifty years down this path. It involved continuing to work at a stable (yet unstable) job. It entailed not being fully present on the weekends. It entailed checking Slack messages and rereading——for the seventh time——the unsettling response from their boss that made them question their future at the company.

They thought about their job while they were with family. In the briefest silence in a conversation, a thought would come over them, having them wonder, "What if I get fired? What will my next move be?"

One of them was still married, and yet she still had to work because her husband's income, like them, was outside of his control. The second woman was divorced and had established a nice cozy living for herself. She had a beautiful condo in a great part of town, and she foresaw a future where she could live decently——meaning, living out her days without taking risk or pursuing her true fascination. She'd have to count every penny, and——honestly, if there was a change in social security, it would dismantle her future plans, but... it was the comfortable path for her——the stable path.

This Was the Future Laid Out Before Them on the Left-Hand Path.

The two women were still standing at the fork in the road. They turned and looked at the right-hand path. The right-hand path entailed a different philosophy. It entailed realizing that you only have fifty more years on this planet. Your one and only shot to live your fullest life.

One of them was reading a book called The Five Regrets of the Dying. She recalled that the number one regret of those in hospice care was "not having the courage to live a life true to myself, but living the life others expected of me." The path on the right called them to have the courage to live a life true to themselves.

As they looked down the right-side path, they saw a future wherein they would pursue their true fascination, unabashedly, unashamed of failure or rejection. The path on the right entailed creating something that they were born to create. It entailed writing and sharing their thoughts with the world. It entailed a bit of risk and several extra hours during the week. It entailed a road that was not easy. There were hills and slopes and challenges and triumphs and fun and adventure and innovation and creativity and risk they had to endure.

Each of these women were at the fork of these two paths. One of them took the path on the left. The other took the path on the right. My question to you is——which path will you take?

www.ScottScheper.com/private

Warm regards,

And always remember,

To stay crispy, my friend.

Scott P. Scheper

"A Man Who Chose the Path on the Right"