-THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED-
(A brief story)
A number of years ago,
I travelled the well-worn path
that others were taking
to reach the summit
of a particular mountaintop
in the Canadian Rockies.
My companions were strangers to me,
hailing from other places in the world.
It was a crisp morning
as the frosted ground
slowly revealed the lovely green leaves
now sparkling as the frost melted away.
The air was fresh and invigorating
as the sounds of animals, insects, and birds
embraced and celebrated the new dawn.
Conversing sporadically and briefly
with my new fellow hikers,
I gradually fell behind their eager pace
so I could further take in
the stillness and beauty all around me.
As I neared the summit, my new friends
were coming back down.
After wishing them well, I continued to the summit.
I took some time to drink in
the awesome panoramic views.
I then noticed a very faint indication of a path
that wove through the vast mountain meadows.
Stepping very carefully so as to not harm the flora
I embarked upon the unfamiliar terrain
as I heard other hikers coming up to the summit.
Before they could see me,
I was well hidden in the dips and turns
of the mountaintop meadows.
I was swathed and soothed in a blanket of stillness.
After a mile or two, I stopped
to sit upon the crest of a hill
to take in the valley not far below me.
I pulled out a little book I had with me called,
Letters to a Young Poet
and as I read and contemplated
I heard some rustling behind and around me.
It was a herd of Buckhorn Sheep.
They very casually passed by me,
and went down to the valley before me.
Two of the sheep began to, almost ceremoniously,
buck heads together playfully.
I sat in gleeful awe to witness this magical moment.
Soon, they discontinued their reverie
and went on their way.
Shortly thereafter, I got up and began
to weave my way back to the summit
to begin my descent.
While doing so I contemplated
and realized how very few people go down
the path less travelled,
For me, on this particular day,
choosing such a path brought me
unexpected riches and wonder,
and I decided that from then on
I would seek out the road less travelled.
Not only does it bring brilliant discoveries
but it also nurtures the amazing gift
of thinking for oneself and how an independent mind
and the desire to explore beyond
the outlines of what we have been told and given
engenders the power of what it truly means
to be sovereign and free.
-TruGuy Starhorse 🦅🐾🐏🦝🐻🌅
