My favorite story is "The Station" by Robert Hastings. It reminds me that life is for living today--please enjoy!
Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we
see ourselves on a long journey that spans a entire continent.
We're traveling by train, and from the windows, we drink in the
passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving
at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke
pouring from power plants, or row upon row of cotton and corn
and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village
halls.
But uppermost in our minds is our
final destination--for at a certain hour and on a given day, our
train will finally pull into the station with bells ringing, flags
waving and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful
dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count
the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
Yes, when we reach the station, that
will be it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're 18...win
that promotion...put the last kid through college...buy that 450
SL Mercedes-Benz...pay off the mortgage...have a nest egg for
retirement."
From that day on, we will all live happily ever after.
Sooner or late,
however, we must realize there is no station in this life, no
one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is
the joy. The station is an illusion--it constantly outdistances
us. Yesterday's memory; tomorrow's a dream. Yesterday belongs
to history; tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday's a fading sunset;
tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to
love and live.
So, gently close the door
on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn't the burdens of today
that drive men mad, but rather the regret over yesterday and the
fear of tomorrow.
So stop pacing the aisles
and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more
mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and
cry less. Go barefoot more often. Eat more ice cream. Ride more
merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we
go along. Copyright 1986 by the Southern Illinois University Press.
