Second Chances?

Second Chances

I remember that day like I remember my name. I had just finished buying my favorite hot coffee from my favorite little coffee shop. Walking down 5th Ave, feeling the cool breeze on my face, I was feeling like my best self. There were no worries on my mind, and I had plenty of time to get back for my next photoshoot.

I decided to take an alternate route back to the office. It added five or six more blocks to my walk, but I wanted to enjoy the beauty of the city just a little while longer. Fall colors were everywhere. Red, orange and yellow. The wind was blowing the branches of the trees as leaves fell softly to the ground. I was not in a hurry to go back inside only to stand behind the lens of my cameras. I am an expert at capturing the moment, as so they say. Although I’m not so good at living in the moment.

As I reached the corner of third street, I saw an old bookstore I used to frequent. It made me smile. I remembered having read every Romance Novel they carried. I remembered how I used to believe in love at first sight. I stopped for a second to look in the window. I wanted to see what book was being featured for the month. “Second Chances” by Darlene Edwards. The book title caught my attention right away because I had just finished thinking about my first love. Remembering when he first kissed me. I used to envision his face while reading all those romance novels. I wanted to have a second chance with him. The photo on the cover of the book didn’t speak much to the thought of romance, so I looked at the story board to the side of the book to find out what it was about. What a disappointment, it wasn’t about romance at all. It was a “how to” book. How to take a second chance at your goals, aspirations and such. Never give up!

Sipping on my coffee and thinking I should get back; I noticed his body and the way he walked. My body gravitated to him as I began to walk towards him. He looks just like the love I lost. My first love was walking towards me and I had no idea what to say. I need to tell him how I feel. I never meant to push him away. I remember thinking, I am going to tell him; I’m going to let him know how much I still love him. I wondered if he would give me another chance. I wondered if he still loved me the way I still loved him. It didn’t matter, I was going to get it off my chest and whatever happens will happen. Gosh, he looked so good. I started to see a smile slide across his face. That made me feel more confident. He was happy to see me. The closer we got, the more I anticipated our reconnection. I could feel not only my face smiling but my body was smiling too. Before I could blink my eyes good, I was standing right in front of him and I blurted it all out.

I miss you, I’m sorry for how I treated you, I still love you and I want you back… it felt so good to get that off my chest. I looked in his eyes and waited for his response. He looked at me puzzled. Then he smiled at me and spoke softly, “are you ok? do I know you?” I was so put out when I realized it was not my first love. He was not the love I had lost. I smiled in thought as I started to walk away. I turned back to say “sorry, I thought you were my Second Chance”.

Hey Tuss, are you waiting around for a second chance?

I thought about what it means to have a second chance and I’m not sure there are second chances. I think we all have something or someone we wish we could have a do-over with, but would that qualify as a second chance? What if we just saw it as another first chance to do something we’ve already done, only we go about achieving the outcome in a different way?

If the approach and outcome is different, then it could not be considered a second chance, would you agree?

I thought about all the things in my life I tried and failed, only to try again and be successful. Each time learning from my mistakes and reconsidering the choices I had made the first time around. You may know what it means to do the same thing over and over again, the same exact way but expecting a different outcome. It’s insanity! It’s not until we make changes to an idea that the end results become different.

I wanted to have a conversation about how we motivate ourselves to move past those things in life that keeps our focus on having a “second chance” at something. This can be anything from romance and love, to goals and affirmations. What are your point of views on this topic? What are your thought patterns when you look at something or someone you want but didn’t succeed at it the first time around? Can you help a tuss out?

Your comments are “Valid, Respected and Valuable”. Your opinion is welcome in the comment space below and I am looking forward to our discussions.

Hey Tuss, What’s your story?