Second Chances ?

He was at the crossroads with the decision looming large. He could possibly not put it off any more. The choice had to be made. Would he follow his dream and go for the glory - to play cricket at the highest possible level - or would he take the other route and fade away into the sunset?

To be fair to him - he had taken his shot at international cricket. He even got a look-in, made an earnest effort but had failed to impress the selectors, who having taken a look at him had done what seemed like the right decision for them - dropped him. He had made half-hearted attempts to get back into the team but the selectors were too wise to let that happen.

And yet - he dreamed. Playing international cricket with this particular Indian team was the dream for him. It seemed unattainable, it seemed glorious, it seemed fulfilling, it seemed unreachable. Just like dreams should be. And yet while he had never yet realised that dream, he had seen others do it. Some were prodigiously more talented than him but some were simply more confident and had waltzed ahead to play.

He could basis his past failures and the lack of interest evinced by the selectors - give it up and take the lesser road. But some dreams were too precious to let go that easily, to let go without a full heart felt attempt at making it through. Failure might still be the most likely result and perhaps the selectors would still not be impressed and yet he might rest easier knowing his best was not enough. And that he had done all he could but the dream was just that - a dream!

To take a shot at his dream - it would mean that he would have to take risks. The risk of making a fool of himself, the risk of failing and the risk of feeling bummed. But sometimes in the long term - those risks might just be worth it.

He sat on, staring at the vacant space in front of him - his mind not yet made, pondering the crossroads, watching the time slip away. He needed to decide. What would you do if you were him?