The Station

The Station
By: Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We are travelling by train and at the window 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 skylines and village halls, of biting winter and blazing summer, and cavorting spring and cooling fall. But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.

On a certain day, at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. There will be bands playing and flags waving. And once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles counting the minutes and loitering…waiting, waiting for the station. However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one 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 which constantly outdistances us.

“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. Translated it means, “When I’m 18, that will be it! When I put the last kid through college, that will be it! When I win a promotion, that will be it! When I reach the age of retirement, that will be it! I shall live happily ever after!”

Unfortunately, once we get “it”, then “it” disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track. “Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 113:24. “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, rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would 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, and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.