“Chess teaches foresight, by having to plan ahead; vigilance, by having to keep watch over the whole chess board; caution, by having to restrain ourselves from making hasty moves; and finally, we learn from chess the greatest maxim in life – that even when everything seems to be going badly for us we should not lose heart, but always hoping for a change for the better, steadfastly continue searching for the solutions to our problems.”
― Benjamin Franklin

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must make rather big choices. Whether this be to follow a new job opportunity in another state, ending a relationship with a spouse, or having a child. These choices impact our lives and help shape who we are. It is a bit like chess. With each move you are taking a risk, but by taking that risk you are improving your chances on reaching your overall goal. Happiness. Success. Love. So on a so forth.

If you stay stagnant while everything and everyone around you is changing, then your chances of reaching your goal actually decrease dramatically. This is also true when you choose to go backward instead of forward. I’m all about learning from your past, but don’t let it control you and don’t dwell in it. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in the past that you miss amazing things or people right in front of you. This actually happened to me a couple of months ago in a game of chess. I got so wrapped up in the previous mistakes I made, I totally missed the opportunity that was right before my eyes.

This can lead to quite a bit of unhappiness that could have been completely avoided. It can also lead to you losing the game which was exactly what happened to me. But that was a learning experience and in my next game I’ll try to remember my previous mistakes without dwelling on them. Regardless, no one should stay in their past. That’s just messy business entirely and no good can really come from it. Learn from it and grow. I know it’s painful taking a new path, but it’s worth it.

My advice to everyone is to take the risk. Take a chance at moving forward instead of staying stagnant or going backward. Because if you don’t then you could miss something or someone amazing. And by the time you realize your mistake, that opportunity is like dust in the wind.

Anyway, check out the photos I took about a month and a half ago at The Nervous Dog Coffee Bar & Roaster in Akron. It is a locally owned coffee shop with a second location in Stow. They serve organic, locally roasted coffee with a wide variety of lattes and mochas.

Their slogan is “Come. Sit. Stay.” And that’s what I do quite often.

Later loves,