By L.Leander, Author of Fearless Fiction
I received the letter “F” for the A-Z Blog challenge. Since my maiden name is Flory I thought about writing about that, but the Forked Road seemed better-suited to this blog. I hope you enjoy it.
We have all been down the forked road, but why do some take the left fork and others take the right? Is it that left-handed people take the left and right-handed people take the right? I don’t think so.
I read an article once before I took my children to Disney World. The author of the piece said “Most people tend to take the right entrance to an attraction, while fewer take the left”. In other words, if you want to get in to the attraction, bathroom, or gate, take the left line because you’ll get there faster. We tried it and the advice was right. We did find the time it took to get in on the left was speedier than the right.
We’ve all seen and traveled down many forked roads or trails throughout our lives. Some curve 
around an ancient tree while others are man-made. They may lead to the same place, or not.
Pretend you need a solution to a problem or have a big decision to make. You sit at the tip of the forked road trying to decide which way to go. Confused and anxious, the decision is waiting to be made. It may be a new move, a new relationship, or anything that will make a big impact on your life. As you sit contemplating, you cannot decide, thinking about all the “What ifs?”
Deepak Chopra, an internationally known New-Age guru says, “Get rid of the what-ifs. It’s not an A or B situation. Don’t control or predict what will happen.” His suggestion is to sit alone in a quiet place and be still. The answer will come; in fact, your heart always knows the right answer. It’s up to you to tune into your thoughts to know the right way to advance.
Decision-making is generally difficult for me and perhaps some of you who read this post have the same problem. I know the issue, I really want to decide one way or the other, but the thoughts go around and around in my head until sometimes they make me physically ill and unable to reach a verdict at all.
I am definitely not a critical thinker and I’ve made snap decisions that ended up without the answers I sought. Sometimes the decision I made was not a good one, so when the next one comes along I worry that I will make the same mistake again.
A Therapist I know shared with me some insight about the forked road. She told me “A decision is just a decision and if it’s not right you can make another decision.”
That advice helped me to see more clearly that even if I make a wrong decision, I have learned from that one and can make a new choice next time. It also made me think about my fear of making good decisions and why it can actually be a learning experience that will help me each time I have an issue.
Here is a passage from the Bible that speaks of a “fork in the road”.
Ezekiel 21:19 Mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them shall issue from the same land. And make a signpost; make it for a fork in the road leading to a city;
What do you do when you’re picking an editor for your manuscript? Do you research several editors? If you get the list down to two do you waffle back and forth between the two choices or do you confidently choose the one you believe will have your best interests at heart?
Do you write your latest novel and at some point come to a place where the protagonist must go one way or another? Which fork in the road do you choose for her/him to follow?
Another bit of advice from Deepak Chopra says; “Find a place of total quiet. Make sure there are no
distractions. Clear your mind and sit silently for maybe fifteen minutes. During that time don’t let thoughts race through your mind, instead, focus on the quiet. You may need to do this more than once, but it will put you in the right spiritual place to make the choice, and the answer will be there. Prayer is a very important part of the journey.”
When you stand at the fork in the road, remember this advice and you’ll make the right choice. But if you don’t, remember, you can always make another one!
Here are a couple of quotes on decision-making.
“Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clean and straight; indecision, a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged edges behind it.”
“Don’t even leap to actions and decisions before you’ve found that sense of natural calm, well-being, or enthusiasm.”
― Frederick Dodson, Parallel Universe of Self
I’d like to share one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. I’ve always loved it but it means something different to me now that I’m an adult. See if the same applies to you.
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
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.
Poem courtesy of Poemhunter.com
Here is a link to an article on decision-making.
The meaning of Fork in The Road.
Bios of Deepak Chopra and Robert Frost
There’s even a joke about the Forked Road (a 2000 year old classic)
Books by L.Leander:
Inzared Queen of the Elephant Riders Video Trailer
Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders
Inzared, The Fortune Teller Video Trailer
Inzared, The Fortune Teller (Book Two)
You can also find L.Leander here:
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
I really enjoyed this because I too take a while to make decisions at times…..what you wrote here really resonated with me
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Thank you for commenting Francesco. Life is full of decisions isn’t it? Sometimes we make great ones and others not so great. With me it’s a work in progress forever!
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Lovely post, Linda, and a great topic choice for the letter “F”! Forked roads and trails — been on a few in my life, both the physical and the emotional. I’ve often second-guessed myself and of course one can look back to the past and wished another decision had been made/road had been taken. But, one can’t get stuck there and must make the best of both the good and the poor decisions. Interesting questions you put forth regarding forked roads in writing/characters — I don’t have answers for those because I edit my own work and have my writing friends provide input and my characters thus far are mostly dogs (although they make decisions too) — I’ll have to ponder this some more. Great post!
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Thanks Gayle. I, too, have been at many forks in the road throughout my life, both emotional and physical. I used to tear myself up for making what I considered a “wrong” decision, but it often provided something I would not have learned if going the other way. I’m getting better now about thinking things through clearly before I take the first step.
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Nice post. I have to admit I didn’t see that subject coming. I was thinking you might write about fiction, fantasy, or the flavors of life. As you may have guessed when I come to a fork in the road, I generally take the road less traveled.
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Interesting that SJ had thought about what you would write about using F.
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I thought it was interesting too, Cherley. Each letter has so many choices that can be used in the context of writing. This is a fun challenge!
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Thank you S.J. I really was going to write about my family since my maiden name is Flory, but saw a picture of a forked road in a magazine and I thought it a better idea for the post. To me the road less-traveled provides blessings and opportunities you might not otherwise have. Good for you!
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Linda, the Frost poem has always been a favorite. This is a wonderful post, worthy of the letter F. You covered so many thoughts and solutions. For that I thank you. Doris
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Thank you Doris. I’ve always loved the poem too. When I first read it in my English Lit class in high school, I loved the structure and cadence of the poem. We studied it for a few days and it wasn’t until then that I understood it. As I said in the post, it now means more to me. Frost was a genius! Thanks for the compliment for the “meat” in the story. I really appreciate your thoughts.
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I like the beginning and the ending of the Frost poem. This is national poetry day, good choice. I’m a quick choser, so I’ve often had to have a redo. ;). I went back and forth with the decision to move to FL, there were a lot more reason to not move than there was to move, but the move won out, even though I’m keeping one foot in WV. We make decisions daily, but some decisions are life-changing. Great thought-provoking blog. Thanks. Love Columbo. Cher’ley
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I love Colombo too, and his was the best pic I could find about “thinking.” I didn’t even know it was national poetry day – but now I’m glad I included the poem. I am also a snap decision maker. My sister is a critical thinker and seldom makes mistakes in her choices. On the other hand, my snap decisions, although often the wrong one, has afforded me a very colorful life, so I can’t gripe. Experience has taught me to step back and look before I leap, but I kinda like jumping in with both feet most of the time!
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Often we’ve come to forks in the road of life, and the choice we made come to define our lives — for better or for worse. Me… I try not to get bogged down with regrets at this stage of my life. Great post, Linda. Frost’s poem is one of my favorites.
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I must admit, sometimes I don’t even realize there is a fork – I just blindly go my own way until I realize there was another choice I could have made. Sort of like the ostrich with his head in the sand? I’m also putting regrets aside. I don’t have time for them now. I love the Frost poem too and glad I posted it. Thanks!
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Great post, Linda. Like Robert Frost I feel I’m going down one fork in the road only to backtrack and try the other and then I repeat the processes all over again. Lots of exciting things can happen but not necesarily in a nice neat well chosen pathway!
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Thank you Nancy. Like you, I feel the same way about the fork in the road – I take one, turn around, try the other and start all over again. Confusing isn’t it?
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Wonderful post, Linda. I often get impatient making decisions, wanting to decide and get to the action, but when something is important, I take my time. Also, thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite Robert Frost poems.
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Thank you Erin. Great minds think alike! lol I am definitely working on my decision-making process, as spur-of-the-moment thinking always seems to get me in trouble. It’s funny how I hadn’t even thought of the Frost poem before I wrote this post. It flashed through my mind and how I enjoyed reading and absorbing it again.
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