Thursday, January 17, 2019

Fork in the Road - Power of Choice

I could have never imagined the life I am living today when I got on that plane 17 years ago. I was following my heart all the way. I met the person who is now my ex-husband and I was head over heels in love with him. So big was my love that I went to get my passport and got my ticket to fly to the USA to meet him. My family thought I was crazy but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. As I read this, I know it sounds like a movie and at that time I believed it was. You can only imagined what my family thought when a year after I announced I was getting married to the man I had only spent two weeks with in person in a foreign land. Yes, you guessed it! I am the different one in my family. The one who when she believes something is possible, nothing will stop her until she reaches her goal. They placed bets that he would not show up for the wedding... they were all wrong! I still remember my dad´s face when he met him for the first time - the American boy with long hair, half blonde and half black. The wedding was simple and a few months later I found myself living in USA. 

The first few years were not easy. They were years full of hardship that made me humble. From an independent and self-sufficient woman, I was then a dependent woman on my husband. I did know know how to drive a car because I thought I did not need it when I lived in the big city of Buenos Aires. Having to ask to be dropped off or taken to certain places like a child was a motivator to keep growing, to keep pursuing. I was a professional in my country and in this land I was just an immigrant. I even took my husband´s name because it would sound American and I would blend in. I had to work hard for everything I have today. America is the land of opportunity. It is the land of dreams but those dreams are not free. Today, I have reclaimed my name and I am proud of being a Latina. Even though I look American with my natural blonde hair, the Latin blood runs through my veins. The passion and the drive to go for what I want is still there. 

A couple of years ago, one of my cousins asked me if I still believed in love now that I am divorced. He was there when I got married and witnessed my love story so his question was understandable. My response was YES. I believe in love and I believe that many times we are faced with a fork in the road. We are faced with a decision to make and our choice will have several ripple effects that will determine who you become. If you ask me today, I would still get on that plane as I did 17 years ago because even though it was a challenging experience, I still choose that experience. I would not be who I am today without it. I choose that love, the love that moved me to leave everything behind and come to USA with just two bags (one bag was full of books!). The love that saved me from unhealthy patterns and gave me the opportunity to build myself from scratch. The love that made me stronger. 

Today, as I see so many people posting 10 year challenges I realize so many things change in our lives with time. We face so many forks, we make so many choices. It is definitely not about looks or age, it´s about experience so can you identify those forks that were agents of change in your life? Would you do the same? If not, what would you do differently? There is always time for a new choice. You have that power.

Many blessings,

Carolina

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