Life Is All About Making Choices

I was up the Bukit Tabur that morning. I haven't been there for quite a while. That place is both a place of health and peace. I usually went up there, spend quiet minutes doing mind-clearing thinking before hiking down. Usually it takes one-half hour climbing up and another one-half hour hiking down

Hiking down the hill that morning, I passed through few people that make me thinking... thinking about life.

First, I passed through a senior couple. The hubby obviously retired but very keen with photography. That was the first time they went up although they lived nearby for more than 10 years.

"Are we about half-way to the top?", the wife asked.

"Hihi..", I chuckled. "You guys are not even one-tenth...", I said.

"Really aaahhh???", the wife supprised.

"Don't worry. Just continue going up till about 11am. Then you guys may turn and start decending coz it will get hotter up here by noon...", I encouraged them to go on.

"We always scared about this place. News of people died here came out almost every year.", the hubby said.

"Don't worry, it's never too late to try this. You won't regret this experience..", I said, smiling.

Then we went on our saperate ways, I decent down while they continued climbing up. Yeah, sometimes in life, we will be too scared to try something new because of what we heard or told, or simply because of the possibility of the unknown that can be so scarry. When we feel the courage later on in life, i.e. the realization that fear is actually nothing trying to be something and when we finally told ourselves, "I'll be more regret not doing this then actually doing it...", that's when we free ourselves to do the unregrettables, the unforgettables, the unknown - and we will start living life to the fullest. I continued descending down the hill.

Right at the foot of the hill, I came acrossed a young man in his early 20's.

"Morning...", I greet. Standard greeting here at Bukit Tabur when we pass thru strangers.

"Morning... Hmmm... is there a trails up to the peak?", he asked. Obviously another first-timer. 

"Yeah, you won't get lost. The trail is all the way up. There will always people up there, don't worry.", I said.

"Hmmm....", he hasitate. "Maybe next time. I just want to see from here."

Again I said, "Don't worry. You won't get lost. I hike up frequently here. Just go up for 1 hour, then hike down. Nothing to be worry about.". A little encouragement is probably all that he needs.

"Nayy... next time...", he said. He turned, and walk to his vehicles.

Sighhhh...

That makes me think. When one day he's at the age of the earlier retired guy and start his first climb up Bukit Tabur, will he come back to this very day and regret, "I should have done this years ago..."

Life, is all about making choices... Right choice? Wrong choice? Does it as matter as the experience gathered?


~ Ri Stranger