Convergence

You know the Robert Frost quote, "Two roads diverged in a woods and I, I took the one less traveled by"? It's probably no surprise it's a favorite. I'm a fan of the remote trail, the back road, the bushwhacked route....  However, it occurred to me today though when I arrived here:

that the two roads, my less traveled one and the more civilized one, often converge in odd places. (Especially when I ride as fast as possible past signs that may forbid me to travel my chosen path.)

I guess the key to staying on the less traveled path is just to accept the occasional convergence and welcome the next divergence as it comes.

Sometimes you might have to bushwhack through wild rhubarb to avoid riding on someone's property, but in the end, the path you took was probably worth it. (Or it was at least better than bushwhacking through poison oak.)

The same is true with the inevitable convergence of play and work. When it happens, I find it helps to play until the very last second, rush into work in bike clothes, dig through the stash under my desk to find an acceptable outfit (and perhaps a snack), and proceed to be as productive as possible to make my time there shorter.

Oddly, the top of my desk is hyper-organized. Perhaps because I hide things under here?

I'm sure the challenge of balancing a love of adventure with the necessity of work is not unique to me, although I do think it challenges some of us more than others, resulting in endless restlessness. The challenge will always be to find a way to stay on that less traveled path as much as possible....(and out of those really uncomfortable boots under my desk as much as possible!)