The Train of Experience
Back in February—I had a singular experience. I was driving home from Seattle through the central part of the state of Washington. I crested a hill and began driving down the other side into a wide valley, as I scanned the horizon, I saw the beginning and the end of a train. This image has stuck with me and I have been thinking about the parallels between a moving train and a variety experiences in life—we could even think of Covid-19 like a train.
This will be one of those very stacy-esque episodes, a little random and in need of personal interpretation. As always, I welcome your insights. We’ll talk about perspective as it relates to attention and how we can work to shift a perspective that isn’t serving us—especially during challenging times.
Interestingly, we can learn a lot about the power of awareness from Apollo Robbins, a recent guest on this podcast. Remember, keep coming up with NEW questions, like: What if what is isn’t?
🚂 To get you in the mood for my train analogy, I offer the following train jokes:
I’ve always liked one-liners. That’s why I’m a fan of monorails.
I asked a train engineer how many times his train had derailed. He said, “I’m not sure, it’s hard to keep track.
What’s the difference between a teacher and a railway security guard? One trains the mind, the other minds the trains…
“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. Most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey–delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
I’m going to challenge myself—and YOU to make a list of 20 things you’ve learned or had confirmed during these months of pandemic. Writing these things down will prepare us to move forward and as we do find wisdom to share in the future. What today seems like an endless train will one day appear—even to us—as an interesting episode in history.
What do you want to be able to share about it?
I’m super grateful to Tracy Shelton for her generous SpeakPipe message. Remember I’m always delighted to hear from you—send me any thoughts and specifically ideas for having FUN in families. Not sure how to send me a SpeakPipe message? Click HERE.
Thanks to ❤️ Close to My Heart for sponsoring Story Starter kits for listeners when I share their SpeakPipe messages on the show!
