It was difficult for Mary to admit that most of her workout consisted of exercising poor judgment. She had always been good at choices. That was the problem. Some people stood frozen at crossroads, paralyzed by possibilities. Mary never hesitated. Left, right, forward — she chose quickly, confidently, and usually incorrectly. What she didn’t know was that every bad choice left a mark. The first time she ignored the warning signs, a narrow dirt path appeared behind her. The second time she trusted someone she shouldn’t have, the path widened into gravel. By the tenth mistake, there was a road. Mary didn’t notice it at first. Why would she? She was always looking ahead. It wasn’t until she met the old man walking toward her that she realized something strange was happening. “You’ve built quite a network,” he said. Mary frowned. “What?” He gestured behind her. Mary turned. A long road stretched across the hills, winding through places she vaguely recognized. Moments of carelessness. Promises broken. Chances taken for the wrong reasons. “You made every mile of it,” the man said gently. Mary stared. “So what happens now?” The man shrugged. “That depends. You can keep building roads forever. Most people do.” Mary looked forward again. For once, she hesitated. Then she chose differently. She stepped off the asphalt and into the grass. The wind moved softly through the field. Behind her, the long twisting road began to crumble. Gravel dissolved into dust. Dust into nothing. The hills smoothed themselves clean. Mary kept walking. The road behind them disappeared, as if it had never been there at all.