The Path Less Chosen

I have chosen many paths in my life and I’m sure there will be many more ahead. The first path I chose was Robert Frost’s less traveled one. It was for my high school yearbook, I thought it was so poetic. Granted it was in a poem but it had a nicer ring than some of the other words of wisdom I heard during the 80’s… I wear my sunglasses at night so I can… or about dirty laundry or dancing safely. The path less traveled seemed a bit more “arty” and rebellious. It was one of those things you see or read and can’t believe that someone else can feel just like you. Then you realize it is like that brand new car you bought, the one that nobody else has. On the way home from the dealership, you pass 10 of the exact “different car” you just bought. That’s were I am now; the less traveled path seems to be humming with people.

This time I decided to build my own path to my own castle. No, I really did. I busted up a perfectly well built concrete walkway to my front door. I did it because I wanted my own walkway; something different and I wanted to do it. I know this sounds crazy and if it doesn’t then you don’t have to read any further cause you get it.

It’s about aesthetics, procrastination, and a bit of sweat equity. After all I am an artist, I like to make things… more difficult. I had visualized this project four years ago and have been collecting the perfectly worn and distressed bricks since then. I had the rock I was going to use as a step to the castle entrance; it has been resting precariously under the hammock for the past three years. The grunt work was done and I was ready to enter the zone, a zone of mathematical mental strength in pattern recognition.  You’d think I was flying a fighter jet. No I was just trying to figure out a true herringbone pattern. Once the first coarse is set its all mental relaxation; pick a brick, lay it down, pick a brick, lay it down, get the rubber mallet and set a beat. It’s a wonderful, backbreaking experience. The repetition and the speed of laying a path gives one great satisfaction in accomplishment. Accomplishing a task while your mind wanders is the best form of procrastination. Making a new path might be the best way to bust up writers block and move forward.

My new path opened many doors to new ideas and my procrastination was up. It was time to start painting. I painted and listened to words of wisdom streaming from my computer…”You fill me up, my red solo cup…”