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.
_________________________
When I was in 7th or 8th grade in a little Lutheran grade school in Ellisville, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis), we had a pastor who taught us English literature. Fortunately, he was more than qualified and very passionate about the subject. He had us read some of the greatest short stories by O. Henry, Shirley Jackson, etc. He was a big fan of Hemingway (which I never really developed into-- I did enjoy "The Short, Happy Life of Francis MacComber," however). He had us read "The Old Man and the Sea." He had us memorize 600+ vocabulary words and their definitions one semester. The other thing he had us do was keep a poetry notebook. He exposed us to some of the greats: Carl Sandburg, e.e. cummings, Robert Frost, etc. Then, he had us write our own examples of various types of poetry (cinquain, limerick, sonnet, haiku, free verse, etc.) and illustrate our own bound book of OUR collected works, which I still have to this day.
We must have spent two weeks on the above poem. It made an indelible mark on my psyche to the extent that whenever I make major decisions, I can still hear it recited in my head. 'Convenience' and 'ease' are American watchwords for our culture and it seems to be embedded in everything we say or do, our choices for entertainment, how we acquire our material goods, and on and on and on. I am always refreshed when students go the extra mile or try something different on an assignment in my classes. It is ALWAYS rewarding for them as well as myself.
There have been several times in my life when I have chosen the road not taken (or less traveled by) and they have definitely been ways that lead on to ways. I'm glad I took the risks to choose art instead of psychology as the field of my career choice. I'm glad I chose a spontaneous road trip to Alaska instead of staying and working a 40-hour-a-week two weeks out of my summer in 1995. I'm glad I majored in painting in grad school with minimal experience at the time in painting and a background in drawing and printmaking. I'm glad I took the Arts Center job a few years back, even though I had never done anything like it. All of these were scary decisions and vast unknowns, but yielded extremely fruitful results.
________________________
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.
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