Opinions
The road less travelled
by Yvanne Dandan
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
– Robert Frost
I remember learning of this quote as a young child and not really understanding what it meant. However, fast forward to today, I have a much better understanding of this idea.
A few weeks ago as I was on my way to school, a particular situation caught my attention (see image). From the subways, there are a few ways to get up to ground level for the busses: (1) elevators (encouraged only to be used for parents with children/strollers and handicap persons), (2) escalators, (3) and stairs. As you can see in the image, almost everyone chose to take the escalators making it a very crowded option. I found this quite interesting that most people gravitated towards using the escalators versus taking the stairs. Now the best part of the story has not even happened yet.
As I mentioned earlier, I was on my way to school that day. I actually recognized the people on the escalator because almost all of them came off the same subway as I did. However, I decided to take the stairs (simply because I am not a fan of crowded spaces) and let me tell you something, I was one of the few people that actually made it to the bus that day. I took the stairs, walked to my bus and got there just in time before it dashed away and, unfortunately, those who took the escalators had to wait another 12 minutes for the next one. I just remember sitting in the bus thinking to myself, “What if I took the escalators? I would’ve been late!” What a difference taking the stairs made. What a difference one decision made.
I like to view life as a journey and that every day we make multiple decisions, whether big or small, which steers us into different directions on the map. I don’t believe that the lesson behind the “road less travelled” is to always take the road less travelled. Rather that is important that we are conscious of the decisions we make and to be careful not to fall under peer pressure. Sometimes on our journey we may resort to “cruise control” or “auto pilot” and we just follow the crowd. However, we have been given a gift of freewill to make the decisions we believe will enhance our lives every step of the way. This gift is something not to be taken for granted and is something so powerful if used the right way. Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.
I hope that we all remember that we are truly alive today and that we are all on our own individual journeys. Have the strength to encourage one another and be open to veering away from the crowd if necessary. Of course, never forget to enjoy the journey!
Yvanne currently studies Independent Performance and Songwriting at Seneca College in Toronto, ON. Prior to Yvanne’s move, she completed a Business Administration degree (University of Winnipeg) and International Event and Wedding Planning Professional certificate (QC Career School). Above all, Yvanne is a big dreamer and is delighted to have the opportunity to share her thoughts and adventures. Search the hashtag #diaryofthedreamer on various social media to follow more of Yvanne’s journey.