Lessons along the road less travelled…

artwork & content Copyright 2008 Jean Burman

The road less travelled (nor taken) has been much talked about. But what exactly is it? And where does it lead? Who exactly takes this road… and perhaps more importantly… who doesn’t… and why?

When Robert Frost penned “The Road Not Taken” he could not have known how much interest and speculation his poem would elicit. Although written in the first person as though referring to himself… the poem was actually inspired by his friend and walking companion Edward Thomas. Whilst walking together in the woods… Thomas would often fret about which path to take… and once having committed to the one… still wondered where the other might have led.

Aren’t we all just a little bit like Edward Thomas? ~grin~

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN – Robert Frost

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.

Whilst popular opinion reads “non-conformity” and aspirations of “forging one’s own path” into Frost’s words… Frost himself described the poem as “tricky”.

And it’s tricky all right!

In the first verse he sizes up both paths.

In the second verse he voices indecision… and acknowledges confusion (whilst one path is grassier… both appear to have about the same amount of wear)

In the third verse he chooses the path (despite both paths appearing equal)… and acknowledges regret that he would never know the other path.

In the fourth verse he speculates (into the future) about his choice… and how having chosen the path he did… it would make all the difference.

Despite the insertion of a sigh (which could be a sigh of relief or regret) he gives no hint if that difference would be good or bad. But let’s face it… even he could not know that yet. I guess it is at this juncture… more of a hopeful thought… or a wish.

This got me thinking:

Maybe the road less taken… was “less taken” for a reason? Afterall… many a headstrong bloody-minded decision was taken in the name of striking out on the independent path… sometimes in the wrong direction!

Funny how people only ever think about the other road… (and what might have been) when they are bored lost or disenchanted with the road they are on. Otherwise they rarely give it a second thought! LOL

Would things have really been much different over on that other road anyway? They would afterall… have still been themselves… albeit having been influenced and shaped by a different set of circumstances and experiences. But who’s to say they wouldn’t have reverted to type anyway… and fallen into the predictable way?

In reality I would venture to say… the road less travelled doesn’t exist. Truth is there are many many roads… as many roads as there are people out there travelling on them!

There are roads for those who would choose to fall into line along a well trodden trajectory… seeking safety in numbers… and comfort in knowing ahead of time the general direction their life will take. And there are roads for those for which this would never do!

We are each of us on our own road… and it’s a road of our own choosing… whether we care to admit it or not! It’s an undeniable fact that at some point along the road to “here”… we chose this way… and there is now no going back!

But who would want to go back? True… we may never learn what lay along the path not taken… but who really cares? Nothing is set in concrete… least of all our life’s journey!

Tomorrow is another path… a new direction… new and better choices… and different opportunities. Whichever road we are on… (and no matter where we are along it)… there will always be another fork in the road… and we should never ever lose sight of it… nor miss the opportunity to take it!

Tagged as: difference, fork in the road, life lessons, regret, road less travelled, robert frost