Paul D Angelo The Step Not Taken Summary

60 seconds can haunt someone for life. Personally, I wish I could turn back the clock to that year, month, day and those 60 seconds, and live them completely differently. If I was able to do that, I would not be stuck at the bottom of the staircase. Regret does not move forward like the hands on a clock. Every unsure second lived will cause me to do something I later wish I could take back. Regret makes it hard to live life peacefully; life would be a lot easier if humans helped each other out, because if we did, we would not have a many regrets It makes me extremely uncomfortable when I am full of uncertainty because it makes me do things I later regret. I also over think and debate with myself over, and over, about the decision or action

Paul D’Angelo, the author of, “The Step Not Taken”, would agree with this statement. D’Angelo wrote in his essay, that he was unsure of what to do when the man with him in the elevator bursts into tears. As they go up, he thinks of whether or not he should take action and ask him what was going on and if he was okay, or to just leave him alone. He ultimately decided what to do, “And what [he] did still shames [him]. The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and without looking back [he] stepped out. [He] stood in the hallway, a bundle of mixed emotions, wondering what to do. A combination of guilt and uncertainty washed over [him]” (D’Angelo PP 3). He felt bad for just leaving the tearful man in that quick moment. I can relate to this because I had a really bad, emotional fight with my mother one night. I was very upset about what happened, and the next day at school, as I walked around in rage and sorrow towards my mother and myself, the CAS ( Children’s Aid Society), was contacted from my school. Even though it made our relationship 100 times better, and case and closed and over now,I still feel regretful snapping at my mother in that quick moment I was unsure what to do in. I am also regretful for snapping at the CAS lady. She was doing her job and, I only calmed down when she said if I didn’t see someone that night, she would be obligated to call the cops. I regret being so angry

I always touched the corners because I was so worried if i did not, something bad would happen. The next day after I did not touch the corners, I came home and got a call that my granduncle had died. Similar thoughts and questions to the ones of D’Angelo came to my mind when I heard about my grand uncle's death. I asked myself, “Should i go down and make sure everyone’s alright? Should i tell them what i did? That I didn't do what i did every other night because i was tired and thought nothing bad could happen if I didn’t do it one day? That I killed my grandmas only living sibling? Would she get mad at me? Lash out at me? Turn sadness into anger?” Like the author, everyone I told, doctors, social workers, others all said the same thing, but they, too, are wrong. Everyone said touching corners has nothing to do with the situation. I know this is probably true, but I still feel very guilty and uncertain if I do not touch corners of everything I see, that nothing bad will happen.I realize how strange it sounds, but. I cannot stop feeling guilty. D’Angelo and I both made decisions we regret, and can not stop debating on whether we made the right choices or