The Road Not Traveled
I was the fool always getting ready to live, but never living — until now.
For years I wanted to visit Bryce Canyon in Utah to see the unique spires of stone, watch the light and shadows change as the sun rose, and hike the iconic trails. I had high hopes for the amazing photos I would capture, but I never went. A paradox made more vexing because I lived just a day’s drive from the National Park.
So why didn’t I go? One simple reason, I was waiting for the perfect time. But the problem with waiting is there never is a perfect time. I could have packed up and gone over a weekend, but I didn’t because that would not have given me enough time to see and do all I wanted to. So I didn’t go at all, and I experienced nothing. The point is now more acute because I live 8,000 miles away and may have missed my opportunity to ever see that fantastic sculpture by nature.
The Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca said that the fool is “… always getting ready to live.” Well, that was me. I was the fool always getting ready to live but never living. Dreaming about my next adventure but not leaving the house. Waiting for the perfect convergence of time, weather, and circumstance to finally go, but never actually going. I procrastinated, always assuming there would be a better tomorrow. Now I am on the far side of the world, and the opportunity to visit Utah is gone.
