Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.
We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the
continent. We are traveling by train.

Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars
on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing,
of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke
pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn
and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and
rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.
On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into
the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving.

Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come
true and the pieces of our lives will fit together
like a completed jigsaw puzzle.

How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes
for loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we
cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes
Benz!" "When I put the last kid through
college." "When I have paid off the mortgage!"
"When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of
retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station,
no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true
joy of life is the trip.

The station is only a dream. It constantly
outdistances us. "Relish the moment" is a good motto,
especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the
day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be
glad in it."

It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It
is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of
tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us
of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles.
Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go
barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more
sunsets, laugh more, cry less.

Life must be lived as we go along. The station will
come soon enough.

~ By Robert J. Hastings ~