Two Roads

I've been very heavy on Where There's Smoke references lately, probably because I've had my head stuck in a lot of self-development and reflection this week. 

I've always been a lifelong learner, even before I knew what to call it. As a child I asked endless questions about everything. Learning about new things, especially the way people and the world works, has always fascinated me.  

This is part of the reason that I have multiple university degrees and constantly have a stack of books and articles on my night stand. I'm starting to think again about starting another professional learning opportunity and am kind of conflicted about which direction to head in. 

As I was contemplating this, I remembered an episode that Where There's Smoke did about choices  on Robert Frost's famous poem The Road Not Taken.  It digs a little deeper  into the meaning of the poem, which many believe is about taking the road less travelled. The show's creators, and many other very intelligent people, believe the poem is about the fact that there isn't necessarily a right or a wrong path. That we spend so much time on making the perfect choice or second-guessing the path we've taken, when we would have likely been as happy with either of the paths before us. If you, like me, have been thinking it was all about the importance of choosing the road less travelled it is a really eye opening listen. 

This wisdom has significantly lowered my anxiety when I come upon forks in the road like this and it's helped me as I've been trying to decide what educational opportunity I'm going to take. I know that either would likely be a great experience, so I'll just go with my gut, try not worry about what could have been and accept what comes my way as a result.