How did one small decision change your life?

I signed up to take a class in German in my senior year of college.  It changed everything.

"You just need credits," the adviser said.  "It can be anything."

"German." I said without hesitation.

"You already have your language requirement -- are you sure?"

I wasn't, so I took it Pass/Fail, but it was the most important small decision I ever made.  First, I met someone who had been a German exchange student; we eventually married and took a six month honeymoon trip to Germany where we took courses at the Goethe Institute.

I decided to take a PhD in Comparative Literature and was given a Fulbright to Germany, which I spent at the University of Trier Kaiserslautern.  I met some lifelong friend including one with whom I have co-authored two books.  I get back to Germany almost every year -- I leave on Sunday for a month in Berlin.

I often wonder how thing would have turned out if I had decided to take a course in ceramics or financial planning.  Actually, I don't. I am just amazed at the implications of a seemingly random decision.

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Thomas L. Johnson on Quora:

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