The Wall Less Traveled

So lately life has begun to feel like the road less traveled. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing. I mean, isn't life about maximizing your potential, pushing the boundaries, escaping your comfort zone? Well, I have been, for, I guess, 9 months now since I've joined Rakuten. And the closest metaphor I could conjure up is "walking along the wall".

Haven't we all tried that? Found a broken down wall, forgotten by time, a discarded piece of history, where, if you're careful and nimble enough, you could climb yourself, like a staircase, up into somewhere no one's been before, somewhere incredible. Because, God knows, unless you're in China, walls aren't normally made for walking. So, it is special in the sense that it is simply not done. Not done, because the stakes are high--literally high. At every moment, with every step, you titter-totter on the brink, as you go higher, and higher.

The allure, in my opinion, is the risk. Something so risky must be rewarding, right? Even if the result is inconsequential, taking risks is a test of our capacity to achieve. And in that essence, is a test of character.

And I've been testing myself these last few months, taking this lone walk along the wall. And in my journey, I keep asking myself, "What was it? What was it?" What was it that made me take the road not taken? What was it that brought this fierce unrest? What was it that made me walk out one evening, to bring me here?

But I am here, and the view is wonderful. And someday, the wall will end. And on that day, I'll have to choose which side to land on. Hopefully, it won't be a humpty-dumpty kind of ending.

Photo Credit: Wall in Intramuros from The Asian Network of Youth Volunteers