Gladys McConnell of Manhasset ponders the fork taken, and the fork after that

As we walk along the road of life, we come upon many forks in the path which demand a choice be made. Many people bemoan the way that life has treated them, but the choices we make have their own consequences and make us the designers of our own destiny.

Every day we have choices — what shall we wear today, what shall we have for breakfast, shall we accept this job or is there a better one around the corner. Some of our decisions have a tremendous effect on the rest of our life and many of us have asked, “What if . . . ”

In 1949 I think I made my biggest choice — and luckily I think it was the right one: Shall I give up England, the country that I loved, my family and friends and my way of life, and move to the United States, of which I knew very little, to marry my future husband? Sometimes decisions are made quickly and rashly, but in other cases it takes time and thought.

When my husband finished his college career in technical theater, we had to choose between settling in New York, where the theaters were, or going to Hollywood to pursue a career in the movie industry. I think we made the right decision in choosing New York. I have sometimes wondered what my life would have been like in California. It would have been a completely different atmosphere.

As we design our life day by day we are creating our own world. Sometimes we come to a fork where the road is barred on one side and we are forced to accept another path. One day you can be a wife and the next day a widow, but although the initial choice is not ours, we do have the power to choose how we handle it.

As we age, our ability to use this wonderful tool diminishes, and we become our children’s child. The roles are reversed and we are led into paths that we may not have taken on our own. We may not make the choice, but we can choose how to accept it.

In looking back on our lives, it is usually the things that we did not do that we regret, not the things that we have done. If we could live our life over again, would we have chosen differently? Probably not, but we may have followed the consequences in a different way.

With age comes wisdom, patience and acceptance, which can color the decisions in our lives.

Gladys McConnell
Manhasset