Off The Beaten Path
She didn’t do normal
No, she always heard
Another beat
She tried to fit in
But the standards she didn’t meet
She heard the voices
“Play safe” “Be secure”
Some said
“Think about your future”
And she did
Think about her future
She knew what she wanted
To do most of all
Was follow her heart
And not play small
So she began to listen
To follow that voice
Whispering in her ear :
Stay off the beaten path
You have nothing to fear
Dare to be you
Try to do something new
Trust the abundance
Of the Universe
And you’ll see
New paths open up
For you to be free
To follow the sound
That you’ve heard deep within
March to the rhythm
Of your own drum beat
You have one life to live
Make it sweet.
“I don’t really want to become normal, average, standard. I want merely to gain in strength, in the courage to live out my life more fully, enjoy more, experience more. I want to develop even more original and more unconventional traits” – — Anaïs Nin
The plain fact is that the planet does not need
more successful people.
But it does desperately needs
more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers,
and lovers of every kind.
It needs people who live well in their place.
It needs people of moral courage
willing to join the fight
to make the world habitable and humane.
And these qualities have little to do
with success as we have defined it.
David Orr
Linking into Write or Die Wednesdays hosted by Mia of The Chronicles of Chaos and Vashelle of Shelly’s Cabaret a bi-monthly creative writing prompt.
Nice take on the prompt Corinne! I liked the Anias Nin quote, yes i too want to develop more original and unconventional traits 🙂
Good luck to you with that, Mahathi!
Absolutely beautiful poem, Corinne! I think it’s so important that “normal” isn’t always the right path for everyone. We’re all so different and unique! Thank you for sharing and linking up with us. xo
Yes, it isn’t – thank God for that. Thanks for all the great prompts, Mia.
Encouraging and inspiring, as usual! Excellent post, again, as usual!!
Beautiful Corinne! (For a moment there, I saw your “Write or Die” button and thought “I should do that….” but for once I am sticking to the load of stuff already on my plate. :O)
Great poem! Creative and inspiring!
Love this piece. It ties in beautifully with the Anaïs Nin quote. Btw, where has the code for your badge gone? I couldn’t find it anywhere on your blog anymore, so copied the code from my post from yesterday.
Love this, I agree with you people are interested on getting impressive tittles rather than helping themselves and others heal within.
Loved the words by David Orr, so beautifully he expressed what our society and our planet needs right now. There’s never a day when I don’t learn something from your blog 🙂
David Orr says it so beautifully…Our definition of success often leads us through paths which may not give us happiness…So, yes as you write Corinne;
‘March to the rhythm
Of your own drum beat
You have one life to live
Make it sweet.’
At the end of the day, choose the path that makes you happy and content, on the beaten track or off the beaten track doesn’t matter…
Love that Orr quote! The world definitely needs more lovers.
Oh yes, it does! Thanks for stopping by, Chelsea.
Corinne, thank you for sharing this beautiful poem, as well as the quote by David Orr. It is exactly what I needed to read at this very moment 🙂
I read the “Listen to Your Heart” post, and boy did it resonate! When I decided (or, admitted, rather) that teaching was not for me, I was devastated! When I went to the principal about it he said, “Are you sure? You’re doing so well and the students love you.” I replied to him, “I’ve never been more sure of anything. Ever.” He was taken aback by my insistence. But it was true. I’ve always had pretty good intuition, but I never experienced the level of intuitive intensity and urgency as I did during that time. My soul was literally screaming at me, “THIS IS NOT YOUR GIG!” As heartbreaking as it was, I do find comfort in knowing that my inner compass is so vocal. Haha 🙂