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The Road Less Traveled


The Road Not Taken

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.


This beautiful poem by Robert Frost has always been one of my favorites.  More than forty years ago, we memorized it in high school English class.  Our teacher, Mrs. Blount, had a vinyl recording of poems that she played for us on a record player that was old even then.  I can still here the narrator, a proper English gentleman, saying "Two roads diverged. . .".

Everyone in the class hated memorizing poems, but I think Mrs. Blount did something right, because I can still quote most of this one after many miles and since much water has flowed to the sea. I have learned that taking the road less traveled doesn't always make you popular, but brings excitement and sometimes peace. 

Hub and I love the west, and we have traveled through those mountainous and desert states many times.  We always get off the interstate and look for treasures, and we have found plenty.  There were a few times when our gas tank got mighty low without a town in sight, and we found places so strange that they were a little scary.  Looking back, we have wonderful memories which would not have existed if we had stayed on the 'big road'.

Today is a good day.  Take the road less traveled.

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