But along with that I had time to get my very first tattoo. I put in a lot of thought to what I wanted and have had this in mind for the last couple of years. It was mainly a matter of money. But this summer, I decided that it was time to just do it. So here it is:
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Three lines are from my favorite Robert Frost poem, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'. This poem has always been intriguing to me and has been applicable to experiences in different stages of my life. I remember reading it for the first time in 8th grade after picking up a book full of American poets. At that time in my life it had a very literal meaning: Some guy was traveling through the woods, stopped, then continued on his way.
Then, just two years later, in English II we had to pick poets to do projects on. I picked Robert Frost because I enjoyed his work. That was when this poem was revisited and when I started questioning the meaning behind his words. Whose woods are they? The guy in the village? How long did stop and watch the snow...just for a moment? Where is he going, why stop?
For the next few years, I revisited this poem and found different meanings within each verse that applied to how I was feeling or what I was going through at the time.
Regardless, the three lines that have kept a consistent meaning to me are the three mentioned earlier:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
- Life in general is full of experiences and events that are lovely, yet painful and horrifying at the same time. Sometimes it's the worst experiences that make you who you are, but also remind you to cherish the beautiful moments. For each moment in my life that has been unpleasant (high school girls, blah), I have had one if not two beautiful moments that remind me how lovely the world can be (early morning winter hikes at the state park, watching the sunrise from a log on the edge of a frozen lake).
But I have promises to keep,
- I have always been the one in my family that marches to the beat of her own drum, (or as my dad would say, I'm the bird of the family - always flying around) yet I have always had a desire to please others. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't do things because of other people's expectations. And personally, keeping this promise to myself means the world to me. Even recently, I've renewed that vow to be who I am, regardless of what other people think, because they really don't matter.
And miles to go before I sleep.
- I have always had big dreams. I'm a daydreamer...always have been. I remember being just a little thing, probably around the age of 7, and staring at a globe and pin-pointing all the places I would go. I have been a avid reader for as long as I can remember...I would go to the library and pick out books full of pictures of beautiful exotic places and dream up the adventures I would have and the people I would meet. On top of traveling, I also wanted to be an author, an artist, a librarian, and a cafe owner. Even as an adult I am consistently dreaming up new ideas and adding to my list of things that I will do. That is where this line comes in. I have a long way to go before I settle down...and honestly, I don't know if I will ever stop. I'm just one of those people. I'm a dreamer.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
