Sometimes all it takes to galvanize us into action is the realization that we have so much living in us that is unexplored. Potential is perpetually untapped. There is always a way to better ourselves, and sometimes all that we must do is seize the opportunity. This weekend I was given an offer to take my life in a whole new direction, and take a path that I had considered but had not seriously pursued. It was my choice a la Robert Frost: my "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," in the truest sense.
It has always been a pet peeve of mine when "The Road Not Taken" is quoted as if it were an ode to doing the right thing, when it is actually about those choices we make are truly defining moments. It can be between right and wrong, but more often than not it is about those times when we see two futures laid out before us with the power to chose either - to marry this person or not, to go to this college or that, to start one career path or the other. It is an ode to those times that we quietly shut the door on one future and embrace a choice. It is the choice that makes the difference.
But after much consideration and prayer I decided that this new offer wasn't for me. I closed the door. But in closing one door I realized what I had already in me to take as I walked through the other. The decision forced me to consider what I was willing to sacrifice and what I would put myself through to reach a goal. And now that my goal is clear in my mind, I am ready to begin with new perseverance, new vision, and new ambition.
The things we don't do are as formative as the things we do. And I know when I think back on this decision, I will know it made all the difference.
peace&love,
Jill
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I love your reference to The Road Not Taken, because I too notice when people mis-quote it. There are always several ways that life can go, but there is always a reason for the way you choose. I'm glad to hear about the new opportunity that came your way, even if you didn't pursue it, because it sounds like you've got some new ideas and goals as a result! Hope to hear some more about it one day. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite poem of all time, sadly I don't get to teach it. However, the theme is very similar to that of Edith Wharton's novella Ethan Frome. My students rarely like the poem or the novel, but it's because at 15, 16 years old they HAVEN'T had to make real choices. I always beg them to revisit both when they are older and have lived life. Great reflection here.
ReplyDelete1) great poem 2) I love that necklace!
ReplyDeleteCarly
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