Life is a journey filled with challenges, each one asking us to decide: will we face it head-on or meander around it? Sometimes, the best way truly is through, as Robert Frost so aptly put it: “The best way out is always through.” It’s a call to courage, urging us to tackle obstacles directly, even when the road ahead feels steep or daunting.

Yet, as we know, life isn’t always about marching forward in a straight line. Detours—those winding, unplanned routes—can lead to surprising discoveries and valuable lessons. While the direct path might often be the answer, there are moments when stepping aside, exploring alternate ways, and embracing the detours in our journey can enrich us in ways we never imagined.

The key is in knowledge and intuition and common sense: knowing when to push through and when to let the twists and turns take us to the same destination, perhaps with a more scenic view. Whether it’s a bold step forward or a meandering detour, every path enhances our life’s story. And when we persevere, move on, regardless of if the path is straight ahead or not, we will get there – the there we want and need to. Until then, let us be right where we are – keep doing what we can do now.

Today’s featured book in the Bookish Five section is certainly a journey of perseverance.

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Looking Back: The Best Way is Always Through

Note: this looking back section is from the same date just a different year – Jan 2014. I made some formatting updates to this section and other minimal updates- added notes and such- to reflect these changes.

Poetic Attempts to Find the Best Way Through

What is the Best Way?
Twirl joyful words in the air
Juggle them up there
Spin pirouettes everywhere
Dance sorrows away
 
Peel the doubts
Throw them out
Embrace fears
Smile through tears
 
Laugh-out-loud,
Live life to the fullest
Don’t be cowed
Make each day your best
 
Remember –
When problems appear
Continue –
For “the best way is always through”
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites.com

Jan 2025 Note: I wrote the above poem in Jan 2014 in response to various prompts: For dVerse MeetingTheBar: Banish Boredom:Rx Verbs and Theme Thursday(doubts) as well as for G-Man (Theme Thursday is no longer there while G-Man, aka, Mr. Know-it-all, who gave us Friday-55 passed away in December that year – 2014). I also wrote about anagrams for that week’s theme of games you can play over at the now no longer active ABC Wednesday meme (though the site is still there).

I am once again linking this poem to dVerse Open Link Night for this current week. Somehow, the line from Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem (below) which is the mini-prompt this week (in 2025!) seems to have some parallels with these words I wrote years ago:

“As in sleeping-drink spices softly she loosens in the liquid-clear mirror her fatigued demeanor.” 

And Games as Well

A for Anagrams  – Anagrams are wonderful, aren’t they? I have always enjoyed words (am repeating myself here but it so true). Anagrams have a long history – from Moses through the middle ages to today’s various board and tile games. It has applications too – not just for fun but also in psychology tests, cryptography, and more (remember “Tom Marvolo Riddle”, anyone?)

There are many variations of this game and we can always make up more variations, and our own rules for playing them too. 

So What is an Anagram?

An anagram is a rearrangement of the letters in a word or phrase to form a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word listen can be rearranged to form silent.

Here are a few anagrams for you to have fun with (if you want to know the answers, just let me know in the comments, and also leave your answers in the comments for I anyway approve comments first)

• I’m the best-ever danger.
• Duh! they e-smart
• It warm knoll.
• Candy’s bad, ewe!

(hint: these “words” are there in the earlier section of the post. )

And a few more anagrams for you (not all are single words)

• built to stay free
• cash lost in ’em
• hear set
• I am not active
• I can hear ten “tens”
• moon starer
• they see

The Best Way is Always Through Today Too!

Sometimes life throws challenges at us, and sometimes we end up with tons of stuff on our plate. And while there are times we can take a breather, at other times, it is imperative that we pull up our pants, grit our teeth, and keep moving ahead. We will get it done, I know that. So I am moving on, with everything I have suddenly seemed to accumulate on my to-do (have to do) list.

Like I mentioned in this earlier March On post, no hesitating now! And when we dream big (I guess that goal resulted in that to-do list), we should plan and move ahead boldly as well!

The Bookish Five: A Greater Goal…

BTW, the best way is always through works in sports as well, to make a goal, sometimes, just go through the gaps… A Greater Goal is another finalist in the Cybils Awards for this year in the high-school Non-fiction category.

(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

Three different first lines from the book A Greater Goal (at the very start, then kind of like a prologue, and then chapter 1)

3 Friday 56

THE FRIDAY 56 is now hosted by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky. 

4 Book Blogger Hop

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

17th-23rd – Have you participated in Sheila’s FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR?

No, I have not.

5 Books For Kid Inventors

(Since the 17th of January is Kid Inventor’s Day!)

• Awesome Science Experiments for Kids (5 – 11 years, and up). I have featured many similar books here on my blog earlier, including The Kitchen Pantry series below, and this one is, like the title says, an awesome one as well!
• How to Think Like an Absolute Genius by Philippe Brasseur (9 – 14 years, and up). My review here.
• The Kitchen Pantry Scientist series (6 – 12 years, and up). My review here.
• Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be by Charlotte Foltz Jones and John O’Brien (7 years and up). I love that this not only informs us of cool inventions but lets us know that it is ok to make mistakes. And sometimes, taking that route, the best way out that is through, might just work out for the best after all. Plus
• Teen Innovators: Nine Young People Engineering a Better World with Creative Inventions by Fred Estes (10 – 15 years, and up). My review here.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read any of these books? If you have, your thoughts on them? If not, which ones would you get for yourself or loved ones first? As always, your recommendations are welcome, as are your thoughts and comments on the post.