Monday, December 31, 2012

The Road Not Taken


The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
 
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.        
 
 

Some days, I feel that I run in a Robert Frost poem. Today was one of those. I ran my usual morning run up Cement Creek Road. Typically, I have a running partner or I see other runners and walkers. Today after two miles, there were no other foot prints except an occasional line of fox prints that would eventually peel off into the forest.

It was what I needed. For my last run of 2012, I reflected on the year past—personally and as a runner although those lines are very blurred for me.  The past two years have been a challenge. Our family made it through and is stronger because of it. Some of the cracks are still evident in my daily life. Getting through the tough times made me put my head down and get it done…runs, races, homework, work, making dinner, hockey and soccer practices, to name a few. I need to lift my head and see the possibilities.
                                                                                                                       
Running and racing (even the not so good races) was my release and joy. I have decided that is not enough. I need to lift my head and try to find a new joy or small moment to make my day complete. This may be as simple as a laugh with a family member, the sun bouncing of a peak during my morning commute, or helping a student solve a simple problem.

I will be writing mostly about running, racing, and coaching. I am passionate about all of them. But as I mentioned earlier, I am a runner and it blurs into my personal being.