The Road Not Taken Robert Frost (1874-1963) Mountain Interval. 1920
The Road Not Taken
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.
For many Happiness will never come. They place happiness into materials, things, jobs, money, stability, success. The reasons they do this is simple - they have never really had anything and perhaps they think once they achieve it all happiness will follow. However, even the rich say that what they own and have in the bank is still not enough to make them happy, and their sorrow comes from the same place as the poor's sadness comes from- because if you are not happy with little, then you most certainly will not be happy with plenty. It is also written by God that it is much harder for a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven than a poor man- and now I know why. Do you want to know what makes me unhappy? I shall tell you people. You, People, everyone makes me unhappy. When I am alone I am one of the happiest people in the world. I can go to places without care, follow the wind and where God takes me. For if God feeds the animals of the earth and protects them from the weather and elements, how much so will he do the same for me, a child of His creation? Yes, People make me unhappy, and often angry. They only see things of this world, as I see things far greater than this world can ever offer. Jesus once told the people, "I eat of a bread that you know not of." - and somehow I have always known this bread Jesus spoke of. From 2003 (February) - 2006 (January) I worked for a credit card company. Everday between 8am-5pm (and sometimes 7am-7pm to work overtime and make more money - more and more was never enough) I took calls and most of the time I heard what people are really like inside closed doors, they cursed and yelled and debated against Responsibility and Accountability and Integrity. Often I told them of these things, and that made them angrier and worse and often complained about why I should speak to them of such things when it was just a credit card. I told them that they are people first and credit card owners second. Well, everyday I hated going to work. I despised it. I regreted it. I loathed it in my bones. Yet I went, and at night I worked hard to try to get my master's (I ended up with 18 hours - out of 36 required for graduation - 1/2 complete). I worked at that job and sacrificed my soul. Then one day God said quit if you are unhappy. I fought with him for 6 months on this issue, and He finally won. So, in January of 2006 I got up from my desk and walked away. Six months later I am in South Korea teaching. Now, I was told recently that teaching English is "embarrassing" and "not a real job." (and this was said to me by someone that I actually make the same monthly wage to and I work less hours) When I read those words I was shocked and thought of the People. For me, teaching has been a true blessing from God. Everyday I wake up I feel good about going to work, and sometimes I am actually excited about it (I would not expect many to know this kind of feeling about a job - because most hate what they do for a living). Teaching feels for me as being One with Myself. I am complete. Now, of course whether I teach at a small Academy or University makes no real difference (however, my career path has always been to teach at a University -and if you didn't know this about me, well, then you have never known me)... but Teaching is in my blood- much like it was for Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Cicero. I am a teacher and a writer. And when I go to work I imagine my students and sure, sometimes I have a big smile on my face - and other times I laugh- and this is all about a job (can you believe it - "an embarrassing job") - well, I can say this. Teaching English is humbling work and also I can inspire children to be something in their lives. I can influence them to be greater than they ever thought they could be. I am happy and content with this job, because I believe we should be happy and content with the blessings God gives us. Never-the-less, I am Happy with my job. And this is probably the proudest I have ever been about a job I have had to work (more so than being yelled out and treating people bad and being treated bad by people on the telephone at the credit card company)...and you know what. By following God, now that I teach - I actually make twice as much money as before, have almost no living bills, I am happy and feel good about the job I do, and I can have some free time to write and travel if need be. All because I obeyed God. Now, last year I remember teaching 4 little Korean boys at the age of 5. Their names were Colin, Branden, Harry, and Justin. They gave me the best of themselves by learning to read and write English (and they knew nothing when I first met them)...they were brave boys (because I was a tough teacher), but at the end of the lesson we would play Spiderman vs Sandman (I was the Sandman and they would all run around and shoot pretend webs at me like Spiderman). I admit I miss them at times. Can you imagine a job where you can actually have fun? I can, and I love it. So, I tell those little boys this (if they are ever to grow up and read this blog) - Never let anyone tell you what Happiness is. But always keep an open ear to God. Also, my little boys - Happiness in a job will be one where you wake up in the morning your heart and mind and soul feel good about going to work and are actually at times excited to go to work; and when you leave at the end of your shift you feel a little proud and good and honoured to have worked that day at that job. If you don't feel any of that in your job, perhaps you need to change jobs or change proffessions, and also pray to God for advice. In the beginning of this blog there was a poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. It is one of my favorite poems because it speaks truth about philosophy, literature, and religion - all intertwined into life. And so, that is how I feel today when someone tells me my job "embarrasses" them or it is not a "real job" - tell that to the 4 boys or all the children that look up to their teacher as a role model or influence for something better in this world. Yes, while everyone will take the road that is pretty and always traveled, I shall take the humbling and less traveled road- and believe it, that has made all the difference in my life - and it will always make the difference between Happy people and Unhappy people. Vaya con Dios. | 
