Of Forks and Friends and Quandries

Ever been in a quandry, at a crossroads in your life, unsure about which fork in the road to take?

On one hand there's the more familiar path...safer, less risky, but not so very rewarding. And on the other, such an exotic and alluring option, with commensurate greater potential reward AND risk.

I found myself at such a spot just today. I think of myself as an adventuresome person who often takes "the road less traveled" but I was clouded with doubt. That fork in question would be far more challenging than any utensil I've ever used ("I could really poke my eye out with this one")...and yet, I really, REALLY wanted to know what food would taste like when this fork consistently lifted it to my lips; the little morsels I'd had so far had been surprisingly rich and full of flavor.

And something else...I'd been alerted that the alluring fork may well only last for a given period of time. I found myself thinking, "What if food tastes SO much better with this very fork, that when the day comes and I don't have this very fork anymore, food might seem forever bland; wouldn't that be so sad? Might I even be sorry that I ever learned to enjoy this very fork so well?"

Thank goodness for sensible friends. One told me, "Don't make it significant that you might have to forego the fantastic fork someday. There's no guarantee to ANYTHING in life, and yet we walk around like there is. Who knows, you may want to try spoons or chopsticks at some point. And who's to say if this fork flitted you wouldn't find an improved implement to replace it?"

So, so true, I thought.

And another friend just happened to send me this little bit of wisdom: "To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done."

And that, Gentle Readers, clinched it. I realized I did indeed want something I had never had, and am therefore willing to do something I've never done.

I'm going for the far fork, the utensil less utilized, the tantalizing tableware...

Cover me, girls, I'm goin' in!