Scorched earth? Or, green pastures? Where are you most likely to flourish? Given the choice, some of us may choose the scorched earth. It’s what we are used to. It’s what inspires us to create. On the other hand, green pastures signify rest and bountiful goodness. Who wouldn’t want that? 

Most of us can identify with the dilemma of taking one road and then think about the road not taken. What if…? The retrospective reflection articulated by Robert Frost in his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” hints at a decision-making approach that could make all the difference. 

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 (emphasis, mine).*

Taking the path less traveled by, is appealing and intriguing. Appealing, because the nature of the task draws upon a sense of discovery and curiosity; the child in us coming alive. Intriguing, because of a hint of mystery that we all long for as we seek out safe spaces to share our thoughts and ideas and to experiment without fear of retribution.

Consider, 

When faced with big choices, how might we think creatively about the decisions we make in order to succeed as creatives? Is there a way to avoid journeying the path and looking back with regret, but rather with a sense of confidence leaving the past behind and pressing on toward whatever it is the future holds? 

I choose to believe that there IS.

* https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken, accessed 10/11/22. To listen: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/play/77060

“Scorched earth” Photo by Joshua Brown on Unsplash 

“Green pastures” Photo by Biegun Wschodni on Unsplash

Thank you!