Paths not taken

I've driven past this gateway on Boren Avenue for years- glancing up the old stone stairs as I wait for the traffic to move. The house beyond the wall whispers of the elegance and grandeur of the neighborhood as it was a hundred years ago.

For years, what I thought as I looked at the gate was- 'No Admittance' or 'Wrong Way' or any number of unfriendly messages. But this summer, I began to see it in a new way. There must now be a better path to the house- maybe more direct or entering away from the busy street and probably more suited to its current use.

And, it's not as if the old path with its worn stone stairs is gone. It can be reclaimed as an option with a bit of heavy pruning and isn't that good- to keep your options open?

I've been thinking this summer, while I've been away, of paths not taken. We make choices- some big and some small- and they all lead us along a path. Sometimes it's clear when we are at a fork in the road and we look down each path- as far as we think that we can see- to determine which way we should go.

Often, there isn't a wrong choice to make- just a different one.