Sometimes I find myself examining my life choices, and I was reminded of something I wrote a few articles ago.
“There comes a time in everyone’s life when making plans comes with a lovely bouquet of what-ifs.”
Life is a bouquet of what-ifs, isn’t it? Sometimes, what-ifs keep you up at night pondering what could’ve been. What-ifs force you to think about the course of your life.
Some what-if categories: scholastic what-ifs, dating what-ifs, friendship what-ifs, past what-ifs, future what-ifs, etc., etc.
When I think of my own set of what-ifs, here’s a few that come to mind.
What if a global pandemic didn’t break out during my junior year of high school? Would I have still taken my gap year before attending college?
What if I didn’t attend LSU at all? Would I have been happier at another university?
What if I was a nepo baby? Would I have even gone to college at all, or would I have just jumped right into my dream line of work?
What if I went viral on TikTok? Well, I did, but not viral enough for pop star status.
Clearly, miscellaneous what-ifs exist too. I find myself looking at life as one giant puzzle, examining every piece that has led to this current moment. While I’m beyond grateful for every blessing, I can’t help but wonder what a reimagined version of life would look like.
I doubt I’m alone in this. There’s someone wishing they could rewind the clock and make a different move in some area. I personally like how my puzzle is coming together, but I’d be lying if certain aspects didn’t stir up questions.
What-ifs are sneaky. One minute your mind is perfectly content with life, the next minute you’re sitting in your bubble bath with a crowded head of – you guessed it – what-ifs.
Some of the hardest what-ifs to face in this tragic dating economy are what if there’s absolutely no good guys left? What if all the great guys are taken? What if the movies lied and meet cutes aren’t for everyone?
Sometimes I’m right there with my fellow daters wondering if I shouldn’t have cut the cord so fast on certain prospects.
You start to ruminate on certain decisions – What if you had tossed your standards out the window, gave Bachelor A a chance even though he didn’t check all 30 boxes, but, hey, he thinks you’re hot and funny. What if that’s enough?
Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s not enough. If that were the case, we’d all have boyfriends.
What if I was born a little earlier? As a millennial, I would have avoided this disastrous dating drought where people lack basic communication skills. Hearting Instagram stories as a primary method of flirting is pointless. Where’s the follow-up?
Are millennials the last generation of decent conversationalists? Millennials may be cringe, but at least they’re in love.
However, my what-ifs aren’t full of regret, just occasional curiosity. My latest fascination is what if there was a pause button? July is slipping through my fingers, causing seasick feelings to wash over me. Summer is too delightful to drift away this fast.
Therefore, I have a new addition to my what-if collection. What if I run away? What if I book a one-way ticket to a land far from life’s responsibilities? I’m thinking maybe the Amalfi Coast.
While never ending gelato and pasta-filled days with boating and basking in the sun is tempting, I’ll save them for post-grad once my diploma is secured.
We have to ask ourselves a major question. Is our list of what-ifs holding us back?
What if we didn’t move? What if we stayed? What if we never met? What if we didn’t go?
What if we dated? What if we broke up?
What if we said yes? What if we said no?
What if we won? What if we lost?
What if we lied? What if we told the truth?
What if, what if, what if?
What if life is just a bouquet of what-ifs?
The what-ifs of life can be hindering. I realize we have to focus on what’s happening right now.
We don’t want past what-ifs to paralyze us from moving forward. What-ifs are like questions we’ll never get answers to. We have to be okay with the possibility of never knowing. After all, some things are better left unsaid.
What-ifs are great reminders to live in the moment, hug your family, laugh with your friends, touch some grass, float and let the waves carry you, say more, say less, say no, say yes, do or don’t.
Be present.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans residing in Texas.
