Every now and then, when you least expect it;
life throws up the most unlikely and surprising of surprises.
It trips you up; fires one or more curve balls.
Some may land squarely on the chin or in the solar plexus.
Others steal permanent real estate in your head
and stampede right through your heart.
They might be a eureka moment,
or just leave you winded, befuddled and disoriented.
Sometimes, they come fast and furious, at the oddest, most inconvenient times.
They can raise serious, uncomfortable questions
that make you worry or interrogate everything you thought you knew.
They challenge long-held assumptions and the things you take for granted.
They push and pull you down memory lane
to take long walks through pristine or dusty streets life has taken.
You take infinite breaths and look deep into that opaque mirror of your soul.
It provokes time to sit still and observe
as you re-examine choices made, roads travelled, and those shunned.
Sometimes, those reflections look back at you through tears or laughter.
And you wonder whether you are exactly where you needed to be;
or the road forsaken is the one you should have taken.
Sometimes, voices in your head’s ears compete for attention.
They talk over your thoughts, look for inconsistencies and try to reconcile them.
Other times, they nudge you to step out of the shadows,
and take a stand.
Every now and then, when you least expect it,
life tells you to get a grip.
It throws you a curve ball or two.
Not to unsteady you or put you off balance.
But simply to pry open your eyes