More randomness from the North Sea

I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me that it was time now; he needs to find a wife, settle down, have kids, and basically get on with the next stage of his life. I was pleased, becuase it is great when people solidify a plan for their lives. I would not be surprised if this past weekend he was been putting into place steps to meet that goal.

(If the above slideshow takes forever to load, please tell me and I will remove it from my blog.)

Now, in the past I've thought that I'm ready for a major shift into the next stage or possibly more aptly, MY next stage, as each person will have their own personal stages,metrics and doors they need to pass through.

The question I find myself posing is: Can we actively choose to follow the path to the next stage, to transition, or will this just come about more as a culmination of the development of a person on a number of different levels/fronts?

I'd like to, as an independant person, believe that I have to some extent control over my direction. I'm not sure how I would feel if my direction is majorly directed through the choices and results of the past, so like a large rolling boulder the best that one can do is nudge it from side to side, little by little?

Now you may be wondering why I am getting all philosophical on the crew, and its really because recently, and in the foreseeable future I have a number of big decisions to make, which requires a solidification of my plans, and also the cementation of my values into actionable steps and tangible boundaries.

As I said in an impromptu speech back in school, "Which road is the one to success? I can't say for certain, but what I can say is that I'll see you when you get there."(ad libbed a bit because I dont remember my exact words). Young. Arrogant. Optomistic... Perhaps even wise? Time will tell.