Robert Frost has a famous poem about two roads diverging in a wood. Almost everybody knows it, and they know that when individuals consider that poem, they think about the choices they make. Perhaps Frost intended people to think about the poem that way, or maybe he intended it much more literally.
Whatever the case may be, there are sometimes events in a woman’s life that cause her to come to a similar crossroads. She might have control over those events, or they might spring out at her unexpectedly. She will have to choose where her life goes from that point forward.
In this article, we’ll look at four life-altering events. If you’re going through one of them right now, or you’ve gone through one already, you probably already know the impact that each can have.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is one of the events that can happen in your life that you may not be able to control. You might have trained to stop an attacker, but it’s possible that:
- Someone ambushed you
- Your assailant was much larger than you
- Your attacker might have had a weapon
If you can identify them, you might hire a sex offense lawyer to represent you. If you can prove that the person you’re accusing attacked you, you can probably get them sent to jail for a long time.
This can be one of those critical moments. You can allow what happened to dominate your life, or you might do whatever you can to get past it, so it does not control you.
That can definitely be easier said than done. Sexual assault can be unbelievably traumatic, but if you attend counseling sessions and possibly join a survivor group, you should be able to get through it okay. It will take time, but if you can find a support network, that should help you tremendously.
Marriage
Marriage is one life aspect that you can control. Society no longer dictates that a woman must marry. You might choose to:
- Pursue your career instead
- Live with someone without marrying them
People do not frown on these two options as much as they once did. However, you might reach a point where you feel like marriage is the best option for you.
You might make that choice for religious reasons or more practical ones, like tax purposes. Whatever the reason, it can turn out to be a wonderful thing if the person you marry is a suitable fit for you. Only time will tell.
Divorce
You might also find that divorce is a crossroads in your life, a seminal moment that brings you peace. Maybe your marriage did not turn out the way you wanted.
If so, that’s okay. Just like a woman who never marries, society no longer frowns on one who chooses divorce, at least not like it did a century ago, or even fifty years ago.
Society as a whole understands that sometimes marriages don’t work. It might not necessarily be anyone’s fault. Maybe you and your spouse just grew apart. If so, this could turn out to be the best thing for both of you.
Having Children
Not every woman wants children, and this is yet another choice that society has come to understand is perfectly okay. You might have other ambitions, and you just never saw yourself as a mother.
However, if you do want kids, there’s no question that having one, or more than one, will change your life dramatically. It should be that way. You brought a new human being into the world, and you’ll need to dedicate much of your life to your progeny from that point forward.
At the same time, you do not have to live exclusively for your children. It will probably thrill you that they’re a part of your life now, but you can still pursue other ambitions outside the home if you’d like to do that. If you’ve got a spouse or partner, they can help with the child-rearing.
There are other events in a woman’s life that might change her outlook or affect her a great deal. Maybe you bought a house for the first time. Perhaps you got a huge promotion at work, or you graduated from college.
Sometimes, you know a big event when it’s happening to you. Other times, events that turn out to be enormously important might not seem that way at the time. That’s all part of life’s tapestry and enduring mystery.
