Poem: Far From The Beaten Paths

Photo: Jetta Marie
Poetry: Jetta Marie
Gratitude Of The Day: Having the honor to live a life uncommon, and well off the beaten path of normal stigmas. I am unique, my life is unique, and I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who not only understand that, but encourage it.

Far From The Beaten Paths

IN ones life,

There are many forks in the road;

There are many moments that allow us

To face defining moments 

Where we get to chose what path we will take.

Decisions of destiny

And commitment to the outcomes of those choices

Are roads never easily traveled.

And choices that should never

Be held or considered lightly.

But in a life lived uncommon,

In a commitment to face the rocky ways

By which we make our choices,

With courage and steadfast demeanor;

When you see clearly that others 

Have no intentions to follow or accompany you,

And your path is unmarked, uphill, 

And impossible to predict...

You have a choice in a moment like this;

To run back to follow the path of others,

Or to say a prayer in your heart

And tackle the more difficult path 

One footstep at a time.

You can live in fear as you travel this path,

In a constant state of watching behind you,

Or you can marvel in  the fact 

That none have seen what you are seeing!

Though the climb to the summit 

Can ware you to exhaustion at moments

You can choose to remember the courage

You had in tackling the path at all

And learn to rely 

On the strength of the warrior 

you already are inside.

You can live in the adventure 

And find courage in how far you have come,

and the bravery to keep going

that you have already displayed.

You can live in the wonder 

Of the new, unexplored path you have chosen

Never  surrendering 

To the whispering of fear,

Or you can follow the path 

That everybody else 

Has already traveled

And furthermore, 

Trampled the flowers and greenery

As they came in hoards 

On what they deemed,

"The Easy Way  Home."

I for one, 

Was once like them;

Afraid that I could not succeed 

In traveling my own way.

Afraid of being alone

And having to rely on myself for survival.

But through watching those before me

Brave enough to leave the herd;

By following and understanding

They examples they set,

In accepting who they were 

And never failing to display courage

In a way I never thought I could; 

In watching them laugh 

When others insulted and called them ignorant 

For leaving the well beaten path;

When they returned to me stronger

Happier,

And with much greater stories to tell

Then I could have ever imagined.

Through their example of bravery

Through watching them never settle for ordinary

And inviting me often 

To join in the uncommon life

That they lived and chose each day;

In watching them 

I found the strength inside,

And took that first step

Onto an uncertain path

For which there was no prediction of outcome.

And I for one,

Have never looked back.

This uncommon life that I lead

The chances and leaps of faith I take

And yes, even the consequences that follow 

Have shaped me into more

Than a worn path ever could.

Hardship, though exhausting,

Is something I would much rather face

Than living a life without the beauty 

And growth in myself,

That I get to see when I travel the roads alone.

Forget the well worn path of others;

For I desire more than the common,

More than that already discovered,

And more than trodden dusty path of everybody else.

I desire freedom;

I desire adventure and new beauty;

I desire to live far 

from the unbeaten path of others.