Betwixt
There once was a girl known as Rue, Whose regret came before she was through. Both paths made her wince — She'd regretted them since Before either road came into view.
A long, long time ago, there was a word: hreow. It meant sadness and sorrow. That feeling you get before you've even decided — like what if you go left? Will you miss something to the right? People all over had their own version of the same word, because everybody, everywhere, gets that feeling every now and then.
Over time, that word changed and changed a little more. It became a little English word: rue. Rue means feeling sorry before you've even acted — already fearing an outcome that hasn't happened yet.
So when Rue feels all twisty and 'I-wish-I-hadn't' inside — she's carrying a feeling that people named a long time ago — the ache of choosing before a choice is made.
Rue can be found at a crossroads unable to decide which way to turn. She wants to know what left will get her. Then, she weighs what’s on the right. In the end, she ends up going nowhere.
Rue will never know if the choice she makes will lead to exciting and new adventures. She should relish the fact that she has a choice — not drown it in the regret of making it.
Rue is a character, not a diagnosis. Rue is not about regret any more than a kid is about their hair color. Please introduce them as a neighbor.
But you don't have to miss out on all the new residents and new hood construction.
Gossip loves keeping everyone up to date on what's happening. If you sign up for the field notes, she'd be happy to sit on the porch with you once a month.
She promises to write only once a month to start. She'd write more often, but we only have so much tea to spill.