Hard Road Home

“We talked about building a house on the home-place,” she said, “but that road is just too hard to travel.” I thought about those words. Truly, this little “home place” is ¾ of the way to the end of Sleepy Hollow; a narrow, very rough, dirt road that reaches deep into the hills between Blanco and Luckenbach. When it rains and pours, the Blanco River swells, and we hope we’re on the right side when that happens. If the naturally trending tendency toward nearly-impassable isn’t enough, a couple of earthen speed bumps (to slow traffic on a small and otherwise relatively flat and smooth stretch of the private road), have been installed by some family/neighbors, and effectively moderate my speed when I’m running late as I pass their place with a carful of kids all needing to be in town in less 20 minutes from the time we left the house (which is a full 20 minute drive, when I don’t drive too fast on the dirt road). I gladly and gratefully travel this hard road because it takes me where I want and need to be, but it really can be a very difficult road to travel. Sleepy Hollow isn’t the only hard road. Recall the “Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. Before us daily lay diverging roads, and it seems to me that more often than not, the less travelled paths are harder to take. It may not be until ‘ages and ages hence’ that we can look back and see how taking the road less travelled has made ‘all the difference.’ Choose your path; choose your destination. Putting on your shoes and getting out the door to begin a new exercise program is difficult and can be frightening on many levels. If you’ve never been exceptionally overweight or physically challenged by genetics, upbringing or nature, you may not understand that. I get it, so when I see someone standing at the crossroads, turning away from the fast and easy pavement to take the difficult, narrow, bumpy, sweaty and dirty road that leads to a healthier place, I want to stand up and cheer them on! I’m happy and honored when I’m called on to guide those who brave the journey down that hard path, unfamiliar and uncertain, because they’ve never been there before. With the right kind of travelling companions, even the most difficult roads can be travelled well, and some destinations are worth the effort to coordinate navigation. In time, worthy (though difficult), paths become part of our exciting and enjoyable journey, and the scenery is magnificent. Believe me; it’s worth taking the hard road when it’s the one which leads you to your healthy home-place.

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