Two Roads Diverged in a Wood…

“And I took the one less traveled by…”- Robert Frost

This has always been one of my favorite poems.  I think it’s because that has always been my path…the road less traveled.  As a little girl, I always thought I needed to follow a certain path.  It wasn’t necessarily something anyone in particular told me.  It’s what society taught me.  Meet a boy, fall in love, get married, have  children and give up myself to be the best wife and mother.  My path started like many others, but it’s not my final stop. It’s just not me. I am a rock star mom. There is no doubt about that, in my mind. I may not be able to buy my kids all the fancy things. They may not always like how I do things. But I know they can never ever question my love for them and they know I always have their backs. They make me so proud.

I followed the “typical” path for a while. But then, I came to a fork in the road. I really had to examine my life. It was so ingrained in me that happiness is found by not being alone. And, by not being alone, I mean, finding a man, moving in together and getting remarried. But, for me, I looked down another path, one that was filled with vines, wild and unruly. I could feel it. There is something so amazing past the wildness.

My path is something I never saw coming. It was so covered up when I took it and there was a lot of shit to move. I went at those vines with a machete. I talk about my tribe all the time. I get so much strength through them. But another love is also part of my journey. I did find a man…well, we found each other. It’s been a year, and it’s been awesome. And I haven’t lost myself. It’s an unorthodox relationship and some may not approve. But I am past looking for approval. With him, I am free to be totally myself. I can be strong and independent and I am beautiful to him. But when I don’t feel so strong, when I feel insecure, he is there. When he is struggling, he reaches out to me too. My friends, well, he is thrilled I have them. There is absolutely no holding me back. We enhance one another’s lives.

So, when I have to battle obstacles, I can face anything. Not because my life is in a nice neat box, but because I took the road less traveled, “and that has made all the difference. “