Favorite Poem - The Road Not Taken (R. Frost,1920)

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.


Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) Mountain Interval 1920

Loss

What is it about loss? Whether its a loss of a friend or loved one, loss of love, home, or property all is loss. I suggest it may be the reminder of how impermanent everything and everyone is. The realization or reminder that all is temporary. It may be the reminder of our mortality. Loss can be the reminder that we are all here for a brief time and none of us know how brief it may be. No one likes ambiguity and loss and these serve as a remembrance of our existence of uncertainty. As sad, depressing, and unmotivating these feelings of having no control over our mortality may be there is an alternative. When loss occurs it is normal to experience feelings of remorse and sadness, but we have a choice on how we reconcile with these concerns. Choosing to be angry and allowing these feelings to remain near the surface is unhealthy and unwise. We can have control. We can chose how we deal and reconcile with these very natural feelings. Always take time to mourn. Mourning over a loss is necessary in order to attempt to move on in our lives no matter how difficult this may seem. Never mourn too long because living in the past is not productive for our futures. As a final stage of the mourning process we must take time to find the productive, constructive or positive aspects of any loss. This may be supremely difficult in certain circumstances, but this step is crucial. We must understand that any loss no matter how wounding can be found to have positive aspects. It can be the fact that loss is a pathway for others to find enlightenment through whatever form of religious dogma you follow. Or, the satisfaction of knowing that we always have what we need when we need it. If we have lost something then it is the will of the almighty. Karma and destiny shall dictate when you have what you need. Loss is one of the hardest emotions to deal with, but we all have the strength to mourn our loss and gain even the smallest fraction of wisdom. With the further attainment of wisdom we become better and stronger people. Tomorrow is a new day and another chance to start over and make a difference.

Feeling Change

This is strange but familiar feeling we all are intimate with. Sometimes we are not sure what we are feeling or we might not even be aware of the feeling as we experience it. Transition or change it has been referred to, but a more accurate description would be living. At certain moments in our lives we feel something is happening. As we board a train, step into a car, or take off on a plane we are experiencing these intimate moments of transition that are palpable. Sometimes, we are not aware enough to acknowledge these moments whether we understand why or why not they are occurring. It is these moments that we are experiencing a real moment of change in our lives in which we can actual pin point this moment as the catalyst or culmination of change. We might fail to understand the significance of these moments of change or we might not be ready or willing for this change to occur. In life when these moments come all we can do is our best to ride the wave of change. We often take these moments to reflect on the opportunity cost of our life decisions and direction. Was this the right decision? Am I choosing the right direction? we might know the answers to these questions at these moments, but life always reveals the answers with in time. Always trust your instincts and allow life to transpire from these decisions whether ultimately good or bad. Take these moments and embrace them as flashes of real living despite the conditions of the moment. In these moments we can actually feel life our destinies manifesting themselves. Often these moments bring sentiments of happiness, gratitude, and sadness all alike. These feelings are always present in these moments regardless of the type of change or where we are at in our life's journey. Wow! What amazing times I just realized I had the privilege to experience. What hurt or regret I feel for the recent decisions I have made. Regardless of how we are choosing to file these memories away we can feel them. We might be on the later of the two experiences in that we are not happy with the way certain changes or events transpired, but that is the power of these moments in which we can chose to put a positive spin on the most dismal situations. Always be gracious and decide to file these experiences away as lessons learned and this will allow us to truly grow as people. Do not harbour angst towards others for decisions they have made because everyone eventually will face their issues over and over again until we learn the life lessons we need to in order to gain the wisdom that will serve us constructively in the future. Bask in these moments of change when they are occurring. We must take these moments to appreciate the lessons we have been privileged to learn which will give us the wisdom to avoid these pitfalls in our futures. Be continually gracious for these changes and lessons for these are the moments that mould us into whom we are. "Change will not come of we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek (Pres. Obama, Speech Feb. 5th, 2008)".