BY 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.
We were all forced to read this poem in High School and give our best interpretation. Though, at that point in our lives the road we were on had been practically paved for most of us. We lived under mom and dad’s roof, the crosswalk kept us in between the narrow lines, and the world did not yet get a hold of our innocence and temptation. We hadn’t experienced the freedom to choose a different path or face a major trial in our lives that consequently chose a path for us. Now however, I think I can finally relate to the words of Robert Frost. I am embarking on the Road less traveled, the road not as appealing at first glance, but the road that will make all the difference.
There were two roads presented before me. One that I could see by, “looking down one as far as I could, to where it bent in the undergrowth.” This was the road I thought I was traveling, the road I had mapped my next 5 years on. But to my surprise, life chose, “the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear.” There is no telling which road is “best.” In fact, Robert Frost was not favoring one over the other. Rather he argues that, no matter which path you take, be committed to follow it wherever it may lead for, “you could not travel both.”
And so, I’ll save the first for another day, the plans I made for myself, and the expectations I set. Because it is time to embark on the road less traveled, the road that “wanted wear,” because this road has a plan for me. A plan I may not yet see but, will soon make all the difference.
Our choices, both big and small, shape the journey we find ourselves on in this life. In some instances, like mine, life may have made the decision for you. But maybe that was God pushing me out of my comfort zone knowing I would have remained on the paved road if it were up to me, never seeing what the road less traveled had to offer. Whatever road you may be traveling, walk it with purpose, pride, and strength. And know that the decisions we make and trails we face sets us upon a path specifically designed for us. So, if you find yourself on the road less traveled, refrain from turning around. We may not understand the importance of this change in direction until we walk this path a little further.