The moment I realized I was wrong...

As human beings, we are all pretty good at convincing ourselves that we're right.  Even when proven wrong (and I mean undeniably wrong), its hard to admit that you were mistaken.  There have been many arguments over a specific topic that wikipedia or google has helped settle, often times in the other person's favor.  However, these are times that I've had time to think, evaluate, an decide for myself what I thought was right.  It is when I have to make a decision in a split second that I find myself hesitating, waffling, and making a rash (wrong) decision.

The last time I was in the position to make a choice that I ended up regretting, I was longboarding with a friend of mine in a neighborhood in Northport.  I had just started learning how to skate on a longboard, but had gotten fairly good, meaning I didn't fall every time I stepped on the board.  It was more like every third time.

After "bombing" a few small hills in the neighborhood, my friend Tyler and I came upon what the local kids call Dead Man's Hill.  It isn't an incredibly large hill, but the thrill came from how steep it was.  There was no way around it.  We had to try it.  Tyler and I both went down simultaneously, yet we had very different results.  At the bottom of the hill was a small wooden bridge that went over a creek.  At the very last minute, I felt fear. I just knew that the second I tried to cross the bridge I'd lose control and eat creek.  I panicked and veered left onto a side street to avoid meeting my impending doom which I was sure was the bridge.  I was quite wrong.

The next thing I knew, I was picking myself up out of the gutter and picking dirt and rocks out of my knee and arm.  What I didn't see before I decided to bail at the last minute, was a small dip in the road that drained water across the street.  Between the dip and the friction of the water, I didn't even have a chance.  The second I saw the dip 2 feet in front of my wheels, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

The lesson to be learned from this is not to jump into things without thinking through the consequences.  Think through your options, and analyze every turn, whether you're bombing a hill on a skateboard or making some of the bigger decisions in life.  If you don't, you may find yourself in the gutter.