the road less traveled

At Cathedral of the Pines camp there is a spot high up on the hillside overlooking the lake and the camp; they call it 'Solitude' - a very befitting name for this very beautiful spot.  Taking a hike to Solitude is no small undertaking.  For awhile the trail is flat, you can walk along the dirt road and paths with no difficulty, but soon the path begins upward and the way becomes less trodden as you duck under branches and step over roots and fallen trees.  For the inexperienced hiker, the walk is challenging but doable; and the reward for the effort is beyond word.

There are many beautiful spots throughout the camp and the surrounding areas that don't require hiking shoes and can be seen with little effort, but hikers that set Solitude as their goal are guaranteed a reward.  

At times I wonder who found Solitude, and what made them seek out this new destination.    Were they headed for some other destination?  Were they wandering, with no specific destination in mind?  Or were they looking for solitude when they found Solitude?

Chances are, at some point, they made a decision to go off the beaten path and take on a more challenging trail.  They must have hoped they would find something new, something worthy of extra effort, worthy of the risk.   People rarely take the beaten path expecting to find something new and beautiful, the most they hope for is to reach their destination with as little effort and risk as possible.  

I've thought a lot about the journey that I've been on lately.  Like the walk to Solitude, it was challenging, but doable.   When I started on this journey, I had a specific destination in mind and I hoped to take the beaten path.  But sometimes we don't get a choice in the road that we take.  So instead, I took the road less traveled, and as Robert Frost wrote, "that has made all the difference".   

Had the road been easy, I may not have been motivated to change.  Had the road been customary and uneventful, I may not have learned the importance of giving up control and asking for help.  Had the road been short, I may not have had time to realize just how strong and capable my daughter is, and neither might she.  Had the road been other than what it was, I would not be other than what I was.

I started out with "life without cancer" as my destination, but I got something more important:

I got Life.

Today, I am cancer-free.  Tomorrow I may not be.  But I'll be here and I'll be a living testament to the road less traveled.  Living is what it is all about. 

Living for my daughter.

Living for my dreams and my goals.

Living for my friends and my family and my faith.  

Living to learn.

Living to love.

Living.

And on that road less traveled, I found a peace which comes from solitude.