Last week’s post was “Getting Back on Track.” There were a number of interesting responses from this speaks to me because I’m experiencing something similar to well-wishers sending good thoughts and hope for my recovering. Now, being on the other side, I am sending this as a response and follow on that makes sense to me, and I hope, to a few of you as well.
There remains, at least for me, a romantic sentiment still when it comes to railroads and trains. I LOVE traveling in trains—I don’t do it very often, I should do it more. Trains as a metaphor for life! YES!!!
Trains, planes and automobiles.....travel by any means a good metaphor because it's about getting there, the path or way forward. It helps to know where we are! The "coordinates" of life, what fits together to give us our bearings. I wish the U.S. passenger trains were more like the best ones in Europe and elsewhere because it's a great way to travel across country. My last big train ride was on the Southwest Chief, formerly the Super Chief and before that an extension of the A.T, & SF - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Railroad history fascinating, at least to me.
I was lucky enough the summer before Covid hit to ride a train from Prague to Budapest, and from there to cruise the Danube and the Rhine through to Amsterdam. “Travel by any means is a good metaphor” is absolutely correct!!! Americans should “get out more.” And to see the world up close and slowly, not at 32,000 feet, means to develop a relationship with place. Our world’s beauty if truly magnificent. Seeing it up close makes me want to take better care of it.
That comes from "The Little Prince" written and illustrated by French writer and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. At one point in the book, the little prince explains to the castaway that real seeing is not even a physical activity but a matter of the heart. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Thanks Gary. Beautiful metaphor for much of life's most basic lessons. I also want to thank you for bringing to my heart and mind good memories of my dad. As a child he would take me on one of the favourite things he LOVED to do..."historical train rides". Steam locomotives pulling vintage carriages along restored tracks in Australia. I would hang out the windows with goggles on and get totally sooted face and clothes. Loved it. He did too. He had vinyl records of steam trains from across the world recorded in full flight. He knew the sounds by heart and would sit smoking his pipe at night listening to their "music". Many life lessons in there. Thanks for the window those memories Gary.
Thank you, ian. There are some memories like those with your Dad that are filled with shared love. It’s for us to carry on. I am not any kind of train aficianado although have been on a number of different ones in different places, and a few historic ones too. One special one was the W.P.& Y.R. that runs on a narrow gauge railway between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse in the Yukon. White Pass and Yukon Route that had a local name of Wait Patiently and You’ll Ride.
Oh wow...now that sounds like a beautiful ride. My most thrilling ride was on a fast train in Japan. Just a time altering kind of experience. The most beautiful on a narrow gauge called "Puffing Billy" in the hills of Victoria, Australia. Another Dad trip.
Yes, the WP&YR is a beautiful ride, a tourist attraction, and at Carcross, short for Caribou Crossing, you can return to Skagway instead of going all the way to Whitehorse. I think that's still true. I spent the summer of 1961 in Skagway. There's also another steam train ride in northern NM to southern CO plus an unusual "Galloping Ghost" kind of limo on the rails. More details on this RR here: https://cumbrestoltec.com/about-us-2/locomotives-and-equipment/
Fantastic metaphor! As always, your thoughts -- through your words -- allow me to delve deeper into my soul. This, for me, is quite "healthy" and, almost always, brings my "spiritual nature in play."
"I hope that make sense, 'cause it certainly makes sense to me." :-)
Thanks, Gary! Your perspective extremely meaningful to me, and I am most grateful to read ALL of your "stuff!"
You are one of the few whoread between the lines and apply what you discover to another dimension, one that we would all do well to cultivate more frequently, the Spirit.
Thanks, Nicola. Travel, by any means, is a good metaphor - the old trains, planes and automobiles, plus cycling of all kinds and walking. Your preferred mode and why? There are many "tracks" to pursue and I will give your suggestion some more thought. Rail travel in the U.S. has become more of a thing in the past than the present. One could find lots of stories in air travel these days, including getting the tail knocked off your plane while on the taxiway. Near misses of which I have had my share. Scary stuff and still here. Gives me another thought to pursue, "Too Close For Comfort". or "Whew, I'm glad that's over." Anyway, thanks for allowing me to think out loud for a couple of minutes and provide the space for that.
My preferred mode is walking. A good thing too because as a full-time carer I can’t go far from home. I’m lucky to live near what used to be a railway line, but is now a path through beautiful countryside. Here, therefore, the tracks are long gone but the memory of them is kept alive by the presence of old nature-reclaimed platforms, converted station houses, and street names like Station Road 😊
Yes, a number of old railway beds and tracks have been converted to hiking, walking and biking trails and through some beautiful scenery. That's a worthy recycling effort on behalf of the environment.
What an experience that must have been working on the railroads, Gary! Your words painted a picture for me in my mind and I could see the team of hands working to keep everything on track. It sounds like you learned a lot about life from that experience and what a blessing that we all get to hear about it from you! As always, a deep bow and a lotus for you 🙏🪷🩵
There remains, at least for me, a romantic sentiment still when it comes to railroads and trains. I LOVE traveling in trains—I don’t do it very often, I should do it more. Trains as a metaphor for life! YES!!!
Trains, planes and automobiles.....travel by any means a good metaphor because it's about getting there, the path or way forward. It helps to know where we are! The "coordinates" of life, what fits together to give us our bearings. I wish the U.S. passenger trains were more like the best ones in Europe and elsewhere because it's a great way to travel across country. My last big train ride was on the Southwest Chief, formerly the Super Chief and before that an extension of the A.T, & SF - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Railroad history fascinating, at least to me.
I was lucky enough the summer before Covid hit to ride a train from Prague to Budapest, and from there to cruise the Danube and the Rhine through to Amsterdam. “Travel by any means is a good metaphor” is absolutely correct!!! Americans should “get out more.” And to see the world up close and slowly, not at 32,000 feet, means to develop a relationship with place. Our world’s beauty if truly magnificent. Seeing it up close makes me want to take better care of it.
"the unseen being more important than what is seen" ~ great line and so often true!
That comes from "The Little Prince" written and illustrated by French writer and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. At one point in the book, the little prince explains to the castaway that real seeing is not even a physical activity but a matter of the heart. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
I love that, thanks Gary 💕
Thanks Gary. Beautiful metaphor for much of life's most basic lessons. I also want to thank you for bringing to my heart and mind good memories of my dad. As a child he would take me on one of the favourite things he LOVED to do..."historical train rides". Steam locomotives pulling vintage carriages along restored tracks in Australia. I would hang out the windows with goggles on and get totally sooted face and clothes. Loved it. He did too. He had vinyl records of steam trains from across the world recorded in full flight. He knew the sounds by heart and would sit smoking his pipe at night listening to their "music". Many life lessons in there. Thanks for the window those memories Gary.
Thank you, ian. There are some memories like those with your Dad that are filled with shared love. It’s for us to carry on. I am not any kind of train aficianado although have been on a number of different ones in different places, and a few historic ones too. One special one was the W.P.& Y.R. that runs on a narrow gauge railway between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse in the Yukon. White Pass and Yukon Route that had a local name of Wait Patiently and You’ll Ride.
Oh wow...now that sounds like a beautiful ride. My most thrilling ride was on a fast train in Japan. Just a time altering kind of experience. The most beautiful on a narrow gauge called "Puffing Billy" in the hills of Victoria, Australia. Another Dad trip.
Yes, the WP&YR is a beautiful ride, a tourist attraction, and at Carcross, short for Caribou Crossing, you can return to Skagway instead of going all the way to Whitehorse. I think that's still true. I spent the summer of 1961 in Skagway. There's also another steam train ride in northern NM to southern CO plus an unusual "Galloping Ghost" kind of limo on the rails. More details on this RR here: https://cumbrestoltec.com/about-us-2/locomotives-and-equipment/
Fantastic metaphor! As always, your thoughts -- through your words -- allow me to delve deeper into my soul. This, for me, is quite "healthy" and, almost always, brings my "spiritual nature in play."
"I hope that make sense, 'cause it certainly makes sense to me." :-)
Thanks, Gary! Your perspective extremely meaningful to me, and I am most grateful to read ALL of your "stuff!"
You are one of the few whoread between the lines and apply what you discover to another dimension, one that we would all do well to cultivate more frequently, the Spirit.
Wow! You have me figured out,” that’s for sure! I would absolutely love to have a cup of coffee with you, and chat!
I am quite confident, any conversation with you would be good for my soul!!!
If you get yourself down here, I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee and more, a complete “desaynunos” of your choice at one of our local eateries. SMA is regarded at a # 1 tourist attraction by Travel & Leisure Magazine: https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-miguel-de-allende-travel-guide-5429388
Maybe -- you never know -- that happens! :-)
Either way, thanks for "doing what you do!"
Be well, my friend!
I enjoyed reading this post. Maybe another one, continuing the railway metaphor, could be about railway sidings or tracks that come to a dead end??? 😀
Thanks, Nicola. Travel, by any means, is a good metaphor - the old trains, planes and automobiles, plus cycling of all kinds and walking. Your preferred mode and why? There are many "tracks" to pursue and I will give your suggestion some more thought. Rail travel in the U.S. has become more of a thing in the past than the present. One could find lots of stories in air travel these days, including getting the tail knocked off your plane while on the taxiway. Near misses of which I have had my share. Scary stuff and still here. Gives me another thought to pursue, "Too Close For Comfort". or "Whew, I'm glad that's over." Anyway, thanks for allowing me to think out loud for a couple of minutes and provide the space for that.
My preferred mode is walking. A good thing too because as a full-time carer I can’t go far from home. I’m lucky to live near what used to be a railway line, but is now a path through beautiful countryside. Here, therefore, the tracks are long gone but the memory of them is kept alive by the presence of old nature-reclaimed platforms, converted station houses, and street names like Station Road 😊
Yes, a number of old railway beds and tracks have been converted to hiking, walking and biking trails and through some beautiful scenery. That's a worthy recycling effort on behalf of the environment.
What an experience that must have been working on the railroads, Gary! Your words painted a picture for me in my mind and I could see the team of hands working to keep everything on track. It sounds like you learned a lot about life from that experience and what a blessing that we all get to hear about it from you! As always, a deep bow and a lotus for you 🙏🪷🩵
Thank you, Deanna. Grateful for your comment and your blessing. 💙💚
What a nice analogy that could mean so much in the higher education world (and almost any world!). It was a good read, so thank you for this!
Vicki