A New Day

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.
~Robert Frost


I have been thinking a lot about potential and comfort. If life is a journey (and I believe it is) then we must all choose; each for themselves the path we take. Sometimes the way is clear as way leads on to way and at others it becomes more difficult to tell. One thing is certain though, we must press on.

As for me I stepped out of my comfort zone and started a journey a little over a year ago. It has not been anything like I expected, and it has caused me to grow in ways I could not have imagined. I find myself living in another country, learning a new culture and a new language. The first step of this journey was taken when I got on the plane from Fort Worth to Philadelphia, and then on to Romania, but I am learning that as with any journey you only go as far as your last step.

Since being in Romania I have good times, and down times. I have been energized and questioned just what the heck I am doing here. Through it all I am learning to approach each day as new adventure, as a chance to build on the past and work toward a future that I want for myself. One thing I wanted to do when I first left the US was to keep a record of all that happens over here, both for you to read, and for me to remember years later. Well so far I have not done a great job of it, but that is the beautiful thing about each day, we have a chance to start over.

As I enter my last year of service here in Romania I am committed to making each day count. I am tired of seeing the days slip away with nothing to show for them. I am rejecting “comfort” and spending my time as wisely as I can. Up till now I feel like I have looked at my time here as this seemingly endless stretch out before me. Now I find that I only have 11 months left, I wonder how I will get everything done that I have planned.

So what is the point of all this? I simply want to encourage you, and remind myself that all we have is today. If there is something you want in life you have the power to go after it! Take a couple moments today and ask yourself what it is that you are working toward, what it is that you want out of life, and then go after it. Live life to the full, no matter where you are what you are doing, it is an adventure, don’t miss a minute of it.