Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo 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 thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn 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 sighSomewhere 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.”
I always love to reconnect with this classic poem by Robert Frost this time of year. If memory serves me correctly, I read it for the first time in my high school literature class. I especially enjoy this one because it reminds me of simpler times from my youth when my friends and I were so busy mucking around all summer with little to no real consequence, that the fall season would sneak up on us without much warning.
I know what you might be thinking, fall comes the same time every year buddy and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone who can use a calendar and wrist watch. While I would generally agree with such astute observations in theory, I guess as kids we were just too darned busy having fun to realize that the days were getting slightly shorter with every passing sunset. Perhaps I just thought that we were all going to live forever back then and that nothing much would change in a handful of seasons give or take a day or two here or there.
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on us in much the same way. Once we get so focused on the plans and futures we intend to carve out for ourselves, we can lose ourselves in the busyness and forget that we are finite creatures. The paradox is really kind of ironic! Proverbs 16:25 says, There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. As you might see in my example above, so many times we humans beings get so caught up in the trappings of this short life that we deceive ourselves into thinking that we have unlimited time on this planet, but that obviously couldn’t be further from the truth.
I heard it said recently that a reporter asked The Dalia Lama, what surprised him most about humanity, he said:
“Mankind! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. He is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
No matter what your world or religious views might be, there is some real wisdom in what he says. Stop and think about that for just a minute. I mean actually push pause and really let that sink in and meditate on it. Try to do so without letting that inner voice drown out this one captive thought for just 60 seconds. We are ALL going to die! Some of us sooner than others…don’t let that get lost with the rest of the noise and self-defeating self-talk that guides us down that elusive other path. As cliche as it may sound, we don’t have unlimited time or unlimited resources. I soberly remind myself with each passing glimpse of my remaining days that we would all do well to realize that each day is a gift with our family, friends, co-workers, and the other people that serendipity sends our way. I don’t say that to be morbid or just for the sake of shocking your system, but to simply ask one question. What different direction might we decide to take our lives today that would result in really living versus just passing the time?
Wes Napier 