The Road Less Traveled

Robert Frost probably had no idea how often that statement would be quoted or used. But perhaps he did....

Because it speaks to a yearning in all of us.

To go down a path where there are new things to see. New worlds to explore. New experiences to savor.

To choose the road less traveled....

Is to give in to our desire to explore. To discover. To observe.

For me, it was equal parts choice, and equal parts forced on my by my life's circumstances.

I choose this life because it is what I love.

For my entire life, I have been in awe of nature. I chased butterflies when I was barely 10 years old. Watched as bats descended into my yard or at the lake to feast on the thousands of insects that were spending a lot of their time biting me. I was grateful for their service, but mostly awestruck by their amazing agility.

My mother was the person who nurtured this. She encouraged me to get out and walk. To go see what was out there. To take a hike in the woods at the cabin, or go for a stroll in the fields behind our home, where I grew up.

So, I did.

I was fascinated by all of it.

The birds.

The butterflies and moths.

The heavens and the stars.

The earth, the rocks, the minerals, the fossils.

The fish and the amphibians.

And even the lizards and snakes.

All that comprises our natural world. I loved it. Was fascinated by it. Wanted to learn more about it, wanted to SEE it.

Then, life imposed itself on me. The trappings of all those things a man is supposed to do.

Meet a woman. Fall in love. Get married. Raise a family. Go to work every day. Earn a living. Provide for the family. Build a home.

Take care of the auto insurance, the bills and mortgage. Cut the grass, tend to the gardens (which I did love).

But the work, the time, the commute. The obligations. The responsibility.

It was all consuming.

I had almost no help. And no encouragement. In fact, what I had was a dissatisfied spouse who ended up finding her solace and love in the arms of other men.

I was beaten and tired. Overworked and exhausted. I had an insanely long commute, a very stressful job. I would come home and cook dinner most nights, because she simply didn't want to, or was otherwise occupied.

It was killing me.

I had built an amazing home with incredible gardens. I wanted to create a nature conservancy in my own yard. And I did. It was beyond gorgeous. And there were birds and butterflies and animals galore. Not to mention the incredible trees, plants, bulbs, flowers, shrubs and even a pond.

Nobody cared. Just me. I had worked on that wanting to create a sanctuary for my wife and family. And in the end, it was only me sitting there watching the fish come to the surface to eat when I threw in the fish food. Or watching the Chipmunks run down to the waterfall to sip some water. Or to hear the frogs bellowing from the pond at night.

It was like creating an oasis of incredible beauty, and having everyone just say "that's nice".

"What about the car payments?"

"Can we afford that second mortgage?"

The yard looks like shit (it didn't, but my ex-wife would complain anyway). In fact, it was gorgeous. Just not manicured and trimmed in the shape of barn animals or perfect squares on the hedges. It was wild, and natural. But beautiful.

"We don't go out enough."

"You never have time for me"

"I'm bored".

Those are just some of the quotes from my ex-wife.

The one that changed my life forever was this one.

"Just look at you. Who would want you?".

That was followed soon after by her second (and last) affair during our marriage.

What followed has put me on this path.

All of my life, I have loved nature and the outdoors.

And all of my life, I worked in Information Technology, and for Corporate America, because that is what I needed to do, in order to raise my family, take care of the home, and provide.

And I lost it all.

But what I gained now is the chance to take that road.

The one I should have been on all along.

The road less traveled.

The places I have yet to see.

The wonders of nature I haven't yet gazed upon.

And I want to capture those with my cameras.

I'm on that road.

I went left instead of right. Through the thickets, the thorn bushes, the swamp and the hills. Past the river and the lake that nobody goes near. And in the trees above me is a bird I've never seen before.

Until now.

There's no turning back.

I'm taking all those turns. Going where most don't notice, or bother to see.

While the world revolves, and the politicians bicker, while the news trumpets the latest disaster. While people hurry to the office to see what their boss wants them to do today...

I wander down that path. Alone, and with no one guiding me, or directing me. Or complaining about what I am doing.

I will be 52 year old in a few days.

I've finally reached that fork in the road.

And I chose, forever more, to take the road less traveled.

Because that is where my heart is. Where my soul is rejuvenated.

Where the wounds of the past heal, and the sadness melts away.

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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.