the path

A few months back I re-read Robert Frost's poem "The Road Less Traveled," which is actually called "The Road Not Taken." It's not at all about forging new paths and being adventurous like I fondly remember it. In fact the poem says the paths were worn "about the same." So there was no road less traveled, only the road not taken, because when there are two paths we can only take one. In the end he is looking back "with a sigh", implying he was not satisfied with the chosen path because he was left wondering what had become of that other path and what his life would have been like if he had taken it.

I thought about this yesterday as I wandered the trails at Caesar's Creek Lake, in search of the "falls" that a sign early on claimed were down one of these paths. The problem was there were few signs, many forks, and numerous paths all equally trodden.

I never did find the falls. But I found scenic vistas. And good company. Sweet smells. And no snakes. Healthy exercise. And the hum of trolling motors, laughter on the water, and the cracking open of beer cans to celebrate good fishing.

I could have been disappointed that the paths I took didn't reveal a waterfall. I could have given up when the path got muddy. But I discovered that the real beauty is not in choosing the "right" path, or achieving the outcome you desire. It is in taking the journey, choosing a path, and EMBRACING THE PATH -- whichever one you choose. And not looking back.


Remembering Lot's wife and choosing to look ahead to my future, instead of back at my past.