The Path Less Travelled.

The Road Not Taken



Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, 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

This is more what I thought I had in mind yesterday when I first went looking to find the path less travelled. I didn’t realize I was in such esteemed company when I went down my journey of discovery that led not at all where I wanted to go. Many others have investigated and commented on the Road Not Taken, even MacGyver.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The Road Not Taken may refer to:
• "The Road Not Taken", a poem by Robert Frost
• The Road Not Taken, an album by country music group Shenandoah
• "The Road Not Taken", an episode of Stargate SG-1
• "The Road Not Taken", an episode of MacGyver, season 2
• "The Road Not Taken", an episode of Fringe, season 1
• "The Road Not Taken", a short story by Harry Turtledove
• "The Road Not Taken", a song by Bruce Hornsby

Was it really regret or dismay that Frost wrote about in his poem as he wondered what would have been the result of choosing the first path originally? Or, since he appears well satisfied with his selection when presented with a similar predicament later in life, was the fact that he would never have the same opportunity again what led him to pick the road less travelled even though it was a different one then the one he initially encountered?


How different might it have been if originally he followed the one that “bent in the undergrowth”? In both instances he is selecting one out of two. I rather am looking to find the intersection of three or possibly more options.


I continue thinking about looking for or finding a path, a route with several junctions at each intersection. For me this is a conscious decision to search for a different track entirely instead of which way or what to select when I encounter a couple of choices. I am far less concerned about what to do when presented with a need to make a decision between Door 1 or Door 2 than finding what alternatives I might consider that will present the most choices to find new ways.


As I look for the path to make a decision, it is the journey toward the juncture instead of the intersection itself and which way to go that affects me more… if that makes any sense.


I never have suffered from lack of options. Through life they have come at me like the stars when going to warp speed. Unlike the Millennium Falcon entering hyperspace I have not had the chance to leave my past behind me as I gained momentum. Options and opportunities bombard me daily. A good strategy should involve a path where the number of choices could be diminished and there was some rational reason for encountering them instead of just blindly reacting to those presented.


Not to mix metaphors but a road less traveled just might be the answer. DakotaDawg does not care which path I choose as long as she has opportunity to see who else has been there before. If it eventually leads home she is happy.




Sometimes it is better without all the words and thinking –



© steven d philbrick sr+ DakotaDawg 09/16/2010