Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken made some, if not all the difference to me as a developing person. Rarely one to take the easy or expected path, I found Frost’s poem reassuring, even encouraging. But as I ponder now the various roads I’ve taken, I wonder whether I was destined to end up right here. Maybe all the fretting and deciding were superfluous egoistic illusions of control.
At a current crossroads in my life, I’m not surprised to see paintings with path imagery emerge. But I’m intrigued by the evident central path, significant to me in part because none of the paintings began with any thematic intention. Most typically, my paintings evolve organically, meaning they aren’t planned and often change – sometimes dramatically – as they are made.
I’m curious about this repeated theme, the one path. It’s almost as if my subconscious, maybe my higher self, is offering a reminder: “You’re on your path whether or not you can see where you’re going, worry is optional.”
For not the first time, I’m considering whether each of us has a predetermined path, sometimes called a soul path. This possibility doesn’t negate free will, which I believe we have. It’s more like being in a great river. We may choose to swim against the current or even to walk along the banks. But it’s probably easiest to stay in the water and go with the flow.
I am aware of making choices. At the same time, I feel I’m being led in a particular direction, even as I have little certainty about where that is or what waits for me beyond the next bend.
Do you ever feel this way? When you look back on your life, do you understand now where you were being led then?
Painting Poetry in Motion 
These images all feel so fresh and clean and open. Seeing them together is powerful too, as your cultivating these ideas over time is giving them palpable richness and coherence. Thank you so much for bringing this beauty into the world and weaving it with your reflections and the intention you convey to serve others through all your modes of expression. You’re a beautiful soul, Amanda!
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Thank you, Todd…for YOUR gifts of expression, your beautiful energy, and your thoughtful comments 💚 I appreciate you so much in so many ways.
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A beautiful post and pondering, Amanda. It does seem as though the theme of a path is asserting itself in your art. I love your line, “worry is optional.” I notice having a path too. When I go with the flow, doors open effortlessly, each step isn’t necessarily easy, but there aren’t huge obstacles in the way. When I’m doing something that isn’t with the flow, it’s like a battle, every step is agonizing and loaded with problems. I’ve learned to tune in and trust, and it’s saved me lots of headaches. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Diana. The notion of worry being optional is certainly not my original idea, but one I try to come back to in my life. I too have learned that forcing an outcome tends to bring unnecessary headaches. That doesn’t mean I haven’t tried that course many times 😂 Here’s to present and future wisdom!
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I love your works, Thank you for sharing. Yes life has a path., we can stay on it or fight through the brambles. Lessons learned each way 😊
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Yes indeed! Thanks for stopping by, Dorothy 💚
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