Two Roads

Happy Monday,

How is everyone doing on this fine Monday morning? All is well here. I spent a couple of days in San Diego, and now I’m home in the lake and I’m getting ready for a busy week. I had my first aqua physical therapy on Friday and OMG, my pain levels are off the charts, again. Trying to keep it positive, no pain, no gain. I just want my mobility back with a lot less pain.

When I got home yesterday morning I saw my friend Kathy who was out for her daily walk. We always have a nice exchange of words, and I always walk away feeling upbuilt. Kathy was sharing with me a little bit about her recent trip to visit her siblings and what that visit meant to her and how each sibling did something to make her feel extra special. During the course of our conversation, she told me about a poem written by Robert Frost. She got a little choked up. Something about this poem touches her heart. Well of course I had to come inside and read it. This poem made me think about my dad and I’ll be honest, I found myself questioning some of the choices he made in life regarding me. The poem also made me think of some of my choices in life and it made me appreciate the roads I’ve avoided and some I wish I would have avoided. Once a choice is made, it’s hard to undo it, and honestly, sometimes you can’t.

“The Road Not Taken: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim because it was grassy and wanted wear, though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same, and both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”-Robert Frost.

What is the author here telling us? I think he’s trying to say that the choices we make do have an impact on our futures. Even if a wrong choice is made, we can regret it all we want, but we can never go back and undo it. Some decisions we make leave us wondering out of curiosity, “what if.” I had a friend tell me once, “I don’t live in the what if world.” I respect that, yet I’m sure we’ve all second guessed our choice in life. Why did we choose one path over another? Why did my dad choose to leave me behind?

Some questions will never be answered, however, I can accept my own perception of the why’s and unknowns. I can build a reality in my mind and heart in order to be at peace with past hurts. We are all given one life to live here on earth, the one we have now. Making the most out of our life and living with little to no regret is a life we can rest in peace with. Some roads, though tempting they may be to take, we avoid. Maybe we avoid them because of the unknown. Maybe we avoid them because we know it’s not a safe course. Maybe we avoid them simply because they take us out of our comfort zone. Whatever the reasons are, it’s our choice to make and those choices and consequences, good or bad are ours to accept.

It’s funny, I hear people blame others for mistakes made. I hear people making excuses for why certain things have impacted their lives, but remember, it all started with a choice. An example of choices I made were to accept financial unfairness in my divorce, yet I gained peace. I chose to stay in a cult for most of my life, and I wish I would have left sooner, but I had to pray and listen with my heart and now, I find myself in a very serene state of mind. Sure, hiccups still come out of the blue. Overall though, I’m in a good place.

Two roads ahead of us all. One less traveled. Why? I don’t, but I can speculate. Maybe one road, while not a bad one, is the one we feel safest on because so many others before us have traveled it. Maybe the one less traveled is just as good, but has more challenges along the way.

Two roads on the path of life. Which one will we choose? That choice is one that we need to think about carefully. We need to weigh out our options, because at the end of the day, we don’t always get a do over, another chance to choose again.

Life is short. Our days are limited to the number our creator has given us. In my 55 years here on earth, I’ve had to make quick decisions on which road I needed to be on. I haven’t always made the right choice and I’ve learned from those choices. Some roads I’ve taken weren’t my choice, they were someone else’s, but I’ve learned from those too.

One thing I’ve learned is to watch the mistakes of others and try not to make the same ones in my life. They’ve traveled roads I’ve considered, and seeing how at the end of their road the impact it’s had on them, not always in a good way, I’ve chosen more carefully. I hope I can return that same light for others watching me. Maybe someone will read my story, see the roads I’ve traveled and make better choices then I did.

Life is about learning, sometimes it’s about taking chances and at other times, it’s about really meditating when we come to a fork in the road, which road will I chose moving forward? Will I chose the road less traveled? Will I choose the road that others have already navigated? The choice is mine, the same choice belongs to you.

Two roads ahead of us all. Neither is wrong. Each brings it’s own set of rules, regulations and consequences. I’m not sure we’ll ever really know if the choice we made was the best, because we can’t go back in time and choose differently. So I suppose, we need to find the good, the positive and the lesson for whichever road we choose. May we find love, peace and blessing along whichever road we travel. May we build our friendships along the way. May we always do our best to build memories for ourselves and our loved ones.

Two roads, two choices. Navigate the road chosen with the bigger picture in mind. Remember, our actions, the roads we choose have an impact, not only on ourselves, but on those in our lives. I hope we all pick the best one.

Well dear readers, it’s time for me to say goodbye for now. I hope your road is filled with love. Until next time, don’t forget, Love Life++