Wandering Back Roads

Some travel with the Destination in mind, and that’s how I describe myself. Sing it with me, “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through…” I often write about the Journey and seldom worry about the Destination. But my early morning ritual of scanning local stories opened up some back roads where you can only go on a motorcycle or ATV. Other’s paths were for hiking, riding horses, or running. Some included pet-friendly trails, and most did not. If I were younger, says this elder voice in my head.

If I Were Younger (sounds like a blog title)!

If I were younger, I would identify more with the person who did not stay on the beaten path all the time. They’re crowded. I would enjoy the back roads more. There’s much I would do if I were younger, but there is still a lot I can do as an older person. Hmmm. “Wonder where that road goes? Let’s see!” Yes. I’ve had to backtrack and find another route, but at least I got to see with my own two little eyes. That sounds like the travel game we played as kids, “I spy with my little eye…”

My Mind Wanders The Back Roads

Back roads don’t just include destinations down pathways but also have many avenues of opportunities. Reading (pick a new genre). I am getting to know someone (call someone out of the blue). Trying something new (raising a litter of 9 puppies), visiting afar, and not just the tourist sites (wandering through Petra without a guide). A back road may even include picking up a new hobby or collection (too numerous to mention).

Back roads are also things, thoughts, and ideas, not just places. I’ve commented often that the rivets holding an airplane together may have come from the cheapest supplier. Then, someone gave one to me recently, and I have a new appreciation for rivets! This gives me some further thoughts about what I’ve always assumed to be factual.

Back roads include people. There are not many people in life that I wouldn’t take a bit of time getting to know when the situation is right. I don’t understand why some cannot have a conversation with just about anybody. Those back roads include stories of lives you never lived! This happened this past week as someone with the same last name reached out to me from one of my social feeds. My bride and I were winding down the day, and this person wandered the back road into our lives. It was fun sharing back roads that went clear across the country and to another continent.

Back roads could mean extending yourself out of your comfort zone, reaching for something once thought unattainable, or exploring areas that are different.

Like most that I write about, there could be lengthy thought processes as I pursue the rabbit trails that have opened up before me.

What are your back roads?

Consider this. Some back roads end naturally. I used to collect cigarette lighters. Though I still have a few, I gave most away decades ago. It’s time to move on and explore something different. But imagine what you gleaned in the process! Don’t waste explanations why you collect maps (over 300) and enjoy opening those pages and exploring the destinations you see and imagining what it’s like at that location. Every few weeks, I would hang one on the wall of my office as a distraction. While doing the mundane, my mind would travel down back roads around the world.

When you get to your Journey’s ending, you will probably regret your mistakes, but you should never regret not having explored the back roads of opportunities. It’s not best to travel alone. Find your traveling partner and explore together. You will be thankful for those you spent time getting to know, and the focus your life took that was different than the mainstream, and the change you made in the world around you.

Okay. I’ve been dying to share Robert Frost. Just a snippet, please. Click if you want the entire poem.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

If I could say it like this: Back Roads are often the places, things, and people no one else tries to experience.