Hard Choices, Easy Life

The mantra whispers, a seductive lie, or perhaps a brutal truth, depending on which side of the precipice you stand. Hard choices: the jagged rocks of the present, demanding courage to leap, to sever ties, to speak the difficult words, to face the gnawing fear of the unknown. The sweat of sleepless nights, the ache of sacrifice, the vulnerability of standing alone. Easy life: the mirage shimmering in the distance, a promise of comfort, of smooth sailing, a reward for the battles fought and won. A quiet harbor after the storm, a gentle rhythm replacing the frantic pulse. But the path to that easy life, is paved with those unforgiving choices. The easy choices, the comfortable compromises, the avoidance of conflict, the silent turning away, these weave a different tapestry. A life perhaps outwardly smooth, but often threaded with the fine, sharp silk of regret, of opportunities missed, of a self that never fully unfurled. So, is it truly hard choices, easy life? Or is it the enduring hardness of a life where the difficult decisions were never made, leaving a persistent, low-grade ache beneath the veneer of ease? The question hangs, a weight in the quiet moments, a challenge to examine the true cost of the paths we choose, and those we don't. ©bfa051725