The Road Traveled
For some reason, the phrase “The Road Less Traveled” popped into my conscious mind this morning. I am not sure whether something triggered the memory of the Robert Frost Poem the Road Not Taken which begins: “Two roads diverged in a yellow road, and sorry I would not travel both…’ or the M. Scott Peck book The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. It does not really matter. Both remind me that daily I make many decisions which will affect me and all the lives I touch or fail to touch. Often it does not even feel as if I am making a decision. Perhaps my only decision is to allow habit or routine to take over. This morning I was talking to a friend who is on a spiritual journey. We discussed how past experiences and habits can affect the decisions we make today which may, in turn, affect the decision we will make tomorrow.
Today I can choose to either visit and give power to the old messages and habits in my head or be very intentional about making new choices about how I spend my emotional, physical, mental and spiritual energy. I am again reminded of the six degrees of separation. I know, for example, that if I am intentional about greeting the person who checks people in at the gym (and fold towels- many towels) with a smile that she is more likely to pass a smile along to every person she greets today. I have no idea of how many people she greets but suppose it is 150 people. Let’s then suppose those 150 people pass a smile along to at least 10 people. Then suppose those 15000 people pass along a smile to 10 more people which brings us to 1500 people. The six degree of separation principle is that there is only six people which separate every person in the world. Out of those 1500 people there are going to be some who are in powerful leadership positions. Jan, the person at the front desk of the gym is in a positive mood most days even before I greet her, but if enough people share a frown instead of a smile she may find it difficult to hold on to her smile. Let’s suppose that just one of those people to whom she passes along the smile was thinking of giving up and allowing someone else to raise their children. The person who might raise their children would leave their imprint – positive and/or negative –which might, in turn, affect how those children thought about themselves and others. Every life those children touch will be positively or negatively affected. Every person Jan touches with a smile will likely touch at least one and possibly many other lives that day.
Assuming one’s brain is working well and not malfunctioning because of some illness or injury, one has the choice today to decide which road to take. The easiest road is the one we habitually travel. That may or may not be a positive choice. Not allowing the emotion de jour or habit to make one’s choice of roads or directions may be very challenging. One may need to reach out for support in taking the road which will long term have the possibility of a long term positive outcome.
The last two lines of the Robert Frost poem are:
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Written October 3, 2018
For some reason, the phrase “The Road Less Traveled” popped into my conscious mind this morning. I am not sure whether something triggered the memory of the Robert Frost Poem the Road Not Taken which begins: “Two roads diverged in a yellow road, and sorry I would not travel both…’ or the M. Scott Peck book The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. It does not really matter. Both remind me that daily I make many decisions which will affect me and all the lives I touch or fail to touch. Often it does not even feel as if I am making a decision. Perhaps my only decision is to allow habit or routine to take over. This morning I was talking to a friend who is on a spiritual journey. We discussed how past experiences and habits can affect the decisions we make today which may, in turn, affect the decision we will make tomorrow.
Today I can choose to either visit and give power to the old messages and habits in my head or be very intentional about making new choices about how I spend my emotional, physical, mental and spiritual energy. I am again reminded of the six degrees of separation. I know, for example, that if I am intentional about greeting the person who checks people in at the gym (and fold towels- many towels) with a smile that she is more likely to pass a smile along to every person she greets today. I have no idea of how many people she greets but suppose it is 150 people. Let’s then suppose those 150 people pass a smile along to at least 10 people. Then suppose those 15000 people pass along a smile to 10 more people which brings us to 1500 people. The six degree of separation principle is that there is only six people which separate every person in the world. Out of those 1500 people there are going to be some who are in powerful leadership positions. Jan, the person at the front desk of the gym is in a positive mood most days even before I greet her, but if enough people share a frown instead of a smile she may find it difficult to hold on to her smile. Let’s suppose that just one of those people to whom she passes along the smile was thinking of giving up and allowing someone else to raise their children. The person who might raise their children would leave their imprint – positive and/or negative –which might, in turn, affect how those children thought about themselves and others. Every life those children touch will be positively or negatively affected. Every person Jan touches with a smile will likely touch at least one and possibly many other lives that day.
Assuming one’s brain is working well and not malfunctioning because of some illness or injury, one has the choice today to decide which road to take. The easiest road is the one we habitually travel. That may or may not be a positive choice. Not allowing the emotion de jour or habit to make one’s choice of roads or directions may be very challenging. One may need to reach out for support in taking the road which will long term have the possibility of a long term positive outcome.
The last two lines of the Robert Frost poem are:
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Written October 3, 2018
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