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.

Isn't it strange the way life turns out? I once read One, by Richard Bach. It's a story about how our choices send us down a certain road. In the book, he and his wife get to travel to those other planes, or other paths and experience what their lives would have been like if they'd made a different choice. It's a fantastic read and has always stuck with me.

I have often wondered what my life would be like if I'd made different choices.

Recently, I've been able to reconnect with an old boyfriend. In truth, he's the only other man I've ever honestly been in love with. I've always wondered how he was, what happened to him, if he was happy, if he ever thought about me. We never really broke up, had a fight or hated each other, which is common when parting ways. He went on a mission. A couple months before he came home, I left on a mission. We sort of just drifted apart.

When I came home, there were things going on that kind of kept us apart, kept us from really communicating. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like now if I had married him. There are times when I wish I could visit that plane and see who I'd be.

Would I be very different? Would I be an author? I do know a few things. I wouldn't be living in Honeyville. It's the man I'm married to now who wanted to live in the country. I probably wouldn't have horses, or know the people I know. My whole life would have gone in a different direction if I hadn't married Bryan.

The point here is this, and you already know what it is. Our experiences shape us. They mold us. I don't know that I'd be a writer if I hadn't met Josi Kilpack and then Elizabeth Mueller, and they both live up here by me.

I certainly wouldn't have met my dear friend Natasha who got me started playing World of Warcraft which was also a tool that inspired my writing. It all worked together and here I am.

Would I change anything? There are times when I'd like to, but I wouldn't want anything I have now to change or disappear. I love writing. I love the country sunsets. I love my horses (and really should spend more time with them.) Sometimes, when I'm lonely, I imagine how different my life would be if I'd married someone else, but I truly am happy and love my life and the friends I've made.

If you haven't read Richard's book. Read it. It will make you think about your own life and the decisions you've made. Is the grass really greener over there? Would you be happier if you'd . . . ?

Who knows, but honestly, maybe not.