she made a choice

she stood quietly at the back of the room...no one knew she'd entered...
she listened to her family discuss her latest choice...her latest endeavor...
she heard the reproach in their voices, the disappointment...
the condemnation of yet another attempt at yet, another dream...
she was a single mother, how dare she take chances?
she had no business doing what would please her...
those days were long gone with the birth of her children...
she owed too much, she'd lost too much, to ask for their support meant...
she was asking too much...
this was what she listened to...as she quietly slipped out...

she walked to her favorite tree and sat down...her heart aching...
no words did she have for them...nothing could be said that would bring them...
to believe in her...
but, this was not the cause of her pain...
her tears flowed because somewhere along the way, she had come to agree with them...
she had taken on their doubts and had given in to their disappointment...
it had become ingrained in her...so much so that she hadn't noticed...
until the day she realized that if she didn't do something real...something outside of the box...
she would live her life dying a little each day...
and this would be the legacy she would pass on to her children...
it wasn't about the money...
it wasn't for the attention, or to prove her family wrong...
it was about living life out loud...taking full advantage of her gifts and blowing the lid off the rules...
it was about living a full existence and teaching her children by example...
the crossroads spread out before her that night...her fear almost tangible...
she made a choice...and she chose to take the road less traveled...
and damn, she was scared...but, damn...she was living...