COURAGEOUS DECISIONS ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Hmmm, how fine is the margin of error that governs our lives and how should that influence the choices we make?

My route home from work on Dixie Road takes me past the backside of Pearson International Airport. There is a landing runway that starts only a couple of hundred yards past Dixie. Occasionally, I pass by that runway as a passenger jet is coming in for a landing. Trust me when I say that the jet is disconcertingly low at that moment.

On Friday, the timing was such that a jet passed over the road at the exact moment I passed the runway. The jet blocked the sun casting a large and ominous shadow over my car. It seemed that I could practically lean out the window and spit on the cockpit. Yes, that's an exaggeration but at the moment it seemed nearly possible.

It struck me how fine the margin of error was that protected me at that moment. If the pilot made a slight miscalculation in descending… or if the calibration of the high tech equipment, which the pilot depends on. was off by just a fraction … or if the engines should lose power for just a few seconds… I would be road kill in the blinking of an eye.

There are many circumstances in our daily lives where a few seconds one way or the other makes a monumental difference.

That split second decision we make when the stop light turns to yellow. Should I brake hard and stop hoping that the person tailgating me can stop too? Or speed up and run through it hoping that the car waiting to turn left isn't second guessing my intention?

The face in the crowd which strikes a chord in me for reasons unknown. Should I shrug it off and keep going or stop and engage her in conversation? Perhaps she is "the one" and this random encounter is the one and only time our paths will cross.

Should I give a few dollars to that person panhandling on the sidewalk? Are they a "professional beggar" with more in their bank account than me? Or are they a downtrodden soul whose will to carry on hangs on one simple act of kindness?

There are several conclusions I could draw from this contemplation. Live each day to the fullest. Follow your dreams. Listen to your instincts. All of them are valid. But the one that calls out to me is this: Be true to yourself.

For some of us, being true to one's self takes us down the busy road where we always have company.

For others, it means taking the road less traveled by which is often the more difficult one. More potholes. More blind corners. Less chances to stop and rest. Frequent stretches where we walk it alone. But, in a life where a single decision can define our fate, the road less traveled by is the only one that will get us where we need to go.

So let us embrace Frost's "The Road Less Taken" metaphor and make our choices courageous ones. The thin margin of error that governs our lives demands nothing less.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of "Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel" – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael's website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog. Visit www.smashwords.com to download a free preview of the e-book version.

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