through the growth of trees and shrubs.
Longing for adventure,
I have taken the path less visible.
At times I have been rewarded
with rolling hills surrounded
by a beautiful landscape
that takes my mind off
the exertion of running.
Sometimes the path quickly deadends.
When I was young,
the path was clearly marked.
Danger! Go the other way.
Or this is the right way
Stay to the left.
Presently, I have arrived
at a new crossroads.
This time I am keenly aware.
One of the roads is intriguing.
I sense this path will have intense climbs
and exhilerating coasts
into long beautiful valleys.
I set my own pace.
It is fast.
I feel agile.
I feel quick.
I grow and get stronger,
yet I am alone.
Others know I run this path.
They praise me for its difficulty.
The rewards are many,
yet shallow.
There is only room
for one on this path.
After a long run,
this path ends up
in the barren desert.
This is not the path for me.
I see the other path is flat,
often mundane.
It doesn't feel challenging.
The pace is slow.
I don't feel like I'm moving.
I'm not getting anywhere.
But on this path
I will run with others.
When we run together
they will grow.
They are strengthened.
As we run together
they indicate points of interest;
animals in the green meadow,
mountain flowers,
colors so vivid.
My eyes have never
beheld such splendor.
We see beauties
I have never notcied before,
never would have noticed.
We run for a long time
pointing out to one another
hazards in our path.
I'm not looking forward
to the end of the run.
I recognize
how much I enjoy each step.
This run will end
much too soon.
At the end of the run
I will turn around
and notice we have
climbed a mountain.
The ascent so gradual
I won't notice.
We take in the view.
We share the triumph together.
I know which way to go.
