The Easy Path

Robert Frost once wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood…”

I wish life was that simple.  That each day was layout in two paths and that was it.  I’ve discovered that throughout a day we are given many opportunities or roads to travel.  But maybe Frost meant something deeper.  That there is always an easier path, and that path is more traveled by.

 

Everyday we are given the opportunity to choose our road, the easier path or the other.  The other path can lead anywhere and can be in any condition.  It can be a battle that leaves us bruised at the end of the day.  On another day that road is a walk in the park and we are filled with joy.  But the uncertainty of the outcome scares us and we shy away from choosing that path, especially if we have traveled that road and it has been a battle for too long.

So, we will choose the easier road.  That path is familiar to our feet.  No matter what the day might bring we can get through it by walking this road.  The day may not be fulfilling. It might irritate us, or stress us out, but it is easy.  It is a passive path.  It allows us to do almost nothing as the world moves on around us.  We know we could have done more with the day.  There is emptiness to the scenery, we don’t have to think, we don’t have to risk anything.  No failure, no heartache. Just a nagging emptiness that we don’t seem to mind because of the easiness of the walk.

But we find out, sometimes too late, that the road is a dead end.  A vacant lot filled with what ifs that blow across our hearts like tumble weeds.  The other path, for all its uncertainty, is the path we know we should choose.  No matter the wear of the road, or the obstacles, or sunshine streaming through the trees, this road leads to deeper fulfillment of our lives.  It is not always easy, but it leads us to a life of achievements, a life without regrets.

So we have another day before us.  There is an easy path through this day.  There is also the opportunity to do what it takes, no matter how difficult or different roads we end up walking to achieve a day we are proud of.