On my way to my parents' house last Friday, I stopped at a small convenience store I'm familiar with on the outskirts of a tiny town. Chickens wandered aimlessly around the rustic building, a porch swing hung listlessly above the boarded floor, and colorful flowers bloomed in boxes hugged around wooden columns. It was a moment frozen; a picture postcard of the heartland.

The evening was perfect, peaceful... so I decided to forego the interstate and took a back road instead. It wound around the foot of the flint hills and set me on a much-desired course of solitary travel. Rare was the car that I met as I took my time, soaking in the sights and scenery.

I drove past the lake where the sunlight lay like a rippled golden path and its twilight rays filtered through the trees. I wanted to stop and take a photograph, but somehow it would have ruined the enchantment. Instead, I took a picture in my mind and stored it in my rolodex of beautiful moments.

It took me longer to get to my destination, but the time spent was well worth the while.

"Two roads diverged in a wood,
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference."