The Road Not Taken

“November, caught between two festivals, is a great month for reflection of the past and the future to come.”  from “Shared Vision” magazine (November 2006)

Usually the month of November here on the Pacific West Coast is the month for storm watching, especially on Vancouver Island; several beautiful resorts use the draw of these magnificent storms (of wind, waves and rain) in their advertising. Here in the West End we can experience the same on a smaller scale and as I look outside my windows I can see the added element of icy, white snow on the mountains heralding the end of Autumn days. The streets become quieter as we spend more time indoors or in stores –  the Winter season is coming and with it comes a busyness, the time for bringing more light into our homes (yes to candles and strings of light!), a natural tendency to bring the outdoors in (I’ve been collecting fallen pine cones from the generous tree on my mother’s street), sharing our bounty of food and rare gifts and my favourite, helping others.

Before the storm, I often find myself contemplating roads not taken, it’s done in an idle way (without regret) and can be a kind of reckoning – I have a sense of a compass of sorts that sits near my belly and has only one setting, to point me in the direction of the best road to take or be on.

We all have a collection of roads in our hearts; roads not taken, roads that may have lead us to lives lived differently and as well, those roads that we should not have taken at all! My roads both taken and not taken have all lead to this present moment. And who am I at this moment? Well, I am a writer in between jobs, living in this beautiful place by the sea, I am a cancer survivor (let me tell you, 2011 & 2012 were very challenging, I had 3 cancer surgeries within 9 months – both types of cancer were caught early and I did not have to have chemo or radiation) who is parked on the road for 5 years due to life-affirming check-ups throughout the year and I am a human being trying to make sense of it all (meaning: the small thread that represents my life is continually becoming part of the vast tapestry that makes up this wonderful world and my question will always be: is my thread shiny & bright or dull & dirty?). What I also know is that pushing forward, ready to explore and to always say “yes” to life has also brought me here, writing to you, feeling good and happy to contemplate new roads.

The road(s) not taken will always be a part of us, in not taking those roads, by following our hearts, we are able to become the architects of our own unique lives and in doing so, allow the tapestry to unfold in peace…may we all be blessed to find ourselves continuing the journey no matter which road we take or find ourselves on!

A Mexican Road Is Always Worth Taking