Two Roads Diverge...And Which One Should I Take?

I'm not much of a poem person but every once in awhile I stumble upon one that I really like. One of my all time favorites is "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. It says:

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.

While I'm sure this poem can be taken to mean different things, it seems to describe my life.

Often, I stare at a fork in the road and wonder which one I should take. I know that unique opportunities await me regardless of which one I choose and yet I still stand and stare. My mind races as I evaluate the pros and cons of each path and try to figure out which one will ultimately lead me closer to my main goal. And then finally I pick and plunge down the chosen road whole heartedly.

I often feel that I pick the road less traveled and can't help but wonder if my choice was the best. I have yet to mast the attitude reflected in the last line - that of knowing the road you have chosen has made the difference in who you are and ultimately accepting the decision. I so often get to the end of the road and can't help but thinking and wondering what I would be like if I had chosen the other option. Instead of being grateful for the opportunities encountered and the acquaintances made, I begin to feel that I may have chosen the less opportune road and missed crucial possibilities.

What I want to learn is to be okay with the road I've chosen to take. To be grateful instead of unsure. To master the skill of looking forward instead of back. To be able to say, "and that has made all the difference."