Sunday, April 22, 2012

Telegraph Road

Distant, yet somehow connected
Somewhere in SW Ontario
March 2009
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We all know what they say about it being all about the journey and not the destination. I suspect they're right. Sure, you get in a train or a plane with the intent of going somewhere. Otherwise, what's the point? But between now and then, here and there, you've got a whole bunch of time that's yours to enjoy.

So will you put on the noise-cancelling headphones and eyeshades and sleep it all away? Or like so many minivan-bound kids today, do you spend it immersed in some movie on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or DVD player?

As much as I value the technologies that make long trips seem that much shorter, part of me still cherishes the very simple act of sitting by the window and watching the world slip by. We see things we wouldn't see closer to home, glimpses of places and lives very different from our own. We feel what it's like to be strangers, however briefly, in distant places.

It's been three years since I sat on a westbound train and thought about what awaited me when I got home, yet I can still feel the warmth of that late winter afternoon every time I stare at this shot. I was far from home, but the lovely scenery flying by my window reminded me how connected I really was.

Your turn: How do you get more from the journey?

3 comments:

Ciera said...

several years ago, we went on a trip from NE PA to mid-Indiana for a wedding. A nice 12 hours or more. We went in a motor home, and so some of that time was spent visiting with each other, I remember working on some cross-stitch that was to be a gift for the couple. When it became dark and we tried to sleep, I couldn't really...and so sat watching to world slide by. So many different things to see, so many different billboards. I remember thinking, "No wonder I don't really know what I want to be when I grow up, I don't know what's out there." It was more a thought about finding the right job to pay for my writing habit...but a good thought nonetheless.

Cloudia said...

Life changing moments in my life occurred on trains, Carmi




Warm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

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mmp said...

like Cloudia...i too find trains to be somewhat life changing....