“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 . . . (Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken)”.   These infamous words of poet Robert Frost paint a vivid image of a person facing a choice or a decision for which the answer is unclear.  The power of this image is almost palpable.  I can almost feel myself standing in “yellow wood” with the two paths leading in different directions before me.  I try to see to where the paths lead, but to no avail.  The end of the road is unclear.  And it is I who stand alone, facing a choice.

Robert Frost was brilliant in capturing the universality of human existence.  We may take many roads in our life, but only one at a time.  And we never know the end of the story, as my friend Jan likes to say.  Some days I am frustrated by this reality and other days the unknown is what gives me hope and excitement for new findings along the path.

I thought of Frost’s words the other day when a friend commented that I am at a crossroads in my life.   What fascinated me about that comment was the common use of the metaphor of a road.   A crossroads implies a choice – go this way or go that way.  The message is similar to Frost, albeit less poetic, but still dramatic.  It is one way or the other.   There is not option for a chocolate-vanilla swirl, so to speak. 

But is life really one way or the other?  I have always lived my life more in the gray area, choosing to struggle with issues and to understand the complexities and contradictions of the world in which we live.  Perhaps this is why I have not viewed my life choices to be “roads,” but more like paths.  The roads are paved, well marked and more frequented.  But I like the paths, less smooth and a bit dustier, but more scenic and authentic.  I like to think Frost had me in mind when he concluded,  “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”