The Road and The Path

I am on a road like a highway.
It continues straight on into the distance.
It’s a clear road, not too many bumps, easy and unobstructed.

Off the side of the big road is a tiny curving path.
It is a small, unmarked trail.
Unassuming and inconspicuous, it is easy to miss.
I can’t tell where it leads.

I know if I take it, there’s the chance that it might just lead to a dead end.
That I’ll have to retrace my steps back to where I started.
Maybe the path is long and winding and arduous, full of obstacles.
Maybe it just goes for a few yards and then just fades away.
Or maybe – eventually – it will connect back to the main road.

But there’s also a chance that it could lead to a beautiful deep blue lake, water so crystal clear to see straight to the smooth rocks at the bottom, fed on one side by a towering, thundering waterfall.

Or a hidden meadow filled with a hundred thousand wildflowers, split crookedly down the middle by a gurgling creek, sunlight throwing tiny sparkling diamonds with every single splash of water.

I have to find out.