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.
Robert Frost
Sir Robert Frost. You frustrate me. Not because I don't understand but rather I fully understand. and hate that I do.
Here comes this traveler. Trying to enjoy his walk in the woods. Enjoying the scenery of the trees. Enjoying the fact that he gets to walk in the woods. And you lead him to a fork in the road. To make a decision. This way or that.
And not only that but you give him two equally travelled roads. There isn't a clear choice. Not better traction or better scenery or cleaner air. But two equal paths which lead forward in different directions.
And not only all of that, but when the traveler finally has the courage to choose a path, he comes to the inevitable and gloomy conclusion that this decision will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision which will lead to another decision... etc... and that he will never be able to return to this fork in the road again to take the other path.
And if this weren't enough, the traveler revisits this same intersection and decision down the road that he has chosen and begins to worry. what exactly are his worries? That maybe there was a difference after all between the paths that he had chosen between, that maybe he had not been paying attention that day, that maybe he had taken the road he shouldn't have, the road that led him to where he is today, the road less travelled. And for these worries, he sighs.
How depressing. How pessimistic. How wrong.
And yet... how true it really is.
Regret and Worry. What unwanted yet close friends you are to me.
Maybe it was a relationship, or a job, or a word spoken, or a purchase that has you snagged in life. Replaying the moment of your decision over and over and over in your mind like some viral Youtube video.
In that moment, both the paths were equal according to your vantage point. Both with limitless opportunities.
But now, you rethink everything. You play the "What If" game at first for entertainment, but now, because it is the only way that you can live in a life that you could have had. You wait for the moment that you will go to sleep and be able to live your life in the dream of this alternate path.
The Road Not Taken.
You wake up. And reality haunts you. It tears you apart. You can't enjoy life anymore because you should have never taken this path or met these people or had this job or married this person.
Regret consumes you. But you keep walking for what else is there to do?
Regret makes me wonder if my life would be different had I gone to a different college, dated a certain person, chosen a different career path, been given a different personality.
I often wonder if the way I live encourages, influences, helps, persuades others to live for something beyond themselves. and I give in to my pal worry.
I often wonder and think of what people have thought and do think of me.
I often wonder what God thinks of me.
Thinks of the path I have chosen.
I think of the roads I haven't taken.
The person i could have been.
On the verge of giving into the doom, I realize this...
A stream could be right around the corner.
A waterfall could be attached to that stream.
That waterfall could lead to a field of flowers.
And that field of flowers could be at the base of a beautiful mountain range.
Regret is uncertainty of the past. Worry is uncertainty of the future. Take neither as an ally. Instead, find contentment. He will stick closer than a brother.
You may not see what lies down the path. You may not see the beauty in the scenery that surrounds you. You may not see fireworks, shooting stars, or the sun on the horizon. But put your trust in one thing. God does see down the path.
Read Psalm 23 and put your faith in it..
He is your Shepherd.
You lack nothing.
He makes you lie down in green pastures.
He leads you beside the still waters.
He restores your soul.
