Roads Not Taken

This weekend I'm posting the first half of my newest Caffrey Conversation story: Roads Not Taken. After one of the characters experiences a death in the family, several of them think about how things might have been different.

The most obvious what-if relates to the person who had died. First the focus is on the day of death. If this person had traveled on a different day, or taken a different route, would they still be alive? Then the focus expands to decisions and events earlier in the person's life. Could they have been happier, or lived longer, if only X or Y had changed?

For Sara, this conversation brings back memories of her mother's death. She'd had similar questions then, and tries to apply her own experiences to help someone else who's grieving now. 

But that's not all that Sara has going on. She's thinking about decisions and changes she made in the last couple of years, and second-guessing herself. Would she be happier or more secure if she hadn't accepted the job offer from Sterling-Bosch?

In this story, Sara has much in common with me. I do a lot of second-guessing after making big changes. And I've wondered if there was anything different we should have done when Mom was diagnosed with cancer. Like Sara and the other characters, I can only learn from my experiences and move forward.

Our characters take those first steps forward within this story. As they move through grief, they remember to laugh as well as cry. My hope for all of us is that when things go wrong we have the time and space to express our fears, anger, grief and frustration, and we're still able to remember and enjoy the good things.