2151: Life Line

"You’re on a long flight, and a palm reader sitting next to you insists she reads your palm. You hesitate, but agree. What does she tell you?"

Daily Post, December 10, 2015

[This didn't post yesterday for some reason, so here it is today.]

"Hmm," she says in a long, drawn-out sort of way, clearly milking the moment for maximum drama. I look around, conscious that other passengers are surreptitiously watching to see what's going on, clearly having overheard her request. Then I look back at her. She's gazing intently at my proffered palm, running her fingertip down what I assume, as a layman, to be my "lifeline", but she's saying nothing for the moment; all I can hear is the low drone of the engines, and the somewhat subdued conversation of the other passengers in the cabin.

"Your path has been a meandering one," she says at last. "You have stumbled headlong into chaos on frequent occasions, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that chaos has sought you out; it is hard to tell at this point."

I say nothing but incline my head slightly in silent agreement. Well, she's off to a running start, at least.

"You have endured many hardships on your travels," she says. "They may not have been physical hardships, or even hardships that people could see you struggling with, but they were hardships nonetheless."

I feel my skepticism fading away a little as she offers what appears to be an accurate assessment of my life to date; that said, there's still a little voice in the back of my mind pointing out that everything she's said so far is fairly ambiguous and could probably be applied to anyone.

"Your pain has helped to forge you," she continues. "Your struggles have made you stronger, but at a cost: turbulence, uncertainty, a lack of clarity."

I glance around to see how many passengers had reacted to the mention of "turbulence" — not a word you want to utter on a plane in most instances — but most people in the immediate area appear to have returned to their own business, or at least are being subtle about their eavesdropping if they are indeed indulging their own curiosity.

She's not wrong, but again, these statements could probably apply to anyone out there. Without context and specifics, I remain not entirely convinced of her reading's veracity.

"Your future remains uncertain," she says, her finger apparently reaching its destination on my palm and ceasing its movement; she doesn't break contact, however. "You desire nothing more than to know exactly what the future holds, and how you can ensure you are on the correct path. But the truth is that there is no correct path, only the path that you choose to take. While it may feel like you are at something of a crossroads right now, be sure that you will make a decision and proceed down a road, and that road will be the correct one for you. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it may not even be next year. But your route will one day be illuminated, and you shall find your way."

She releases my hand, which plops back into my lap.

"Thank you," I say simply. Ultimately I'm not sure I've learned anything particularly new from her statements, but if nothing else they gave me pause to reflect on my life, the decisions I've made, the decisions that were made for me, and what the future might hold, as uncertain as it might be.

Finding that route will be scary, no doubt, but as I look at her gently smiling at me, I feel like there's at least one person out there who has faith I'll make the right choices somewhere along the way, and that everything will work out for the best.

I hope she's right.