Trains
August 26, 2009
#2
Why are trains so magical?
Something about the low, baseline pounding of the wheels on the tracks as the world flies by at incredibly high speeds. The blinding light of the sun burning your eyes, almost like it’s trying to discourage you from leaving. Power lines hug the rail road tracks, guiding the train out of civilization and into the country. The cityscape slowly transforming into a beautiful landscape of green field. The sky scrapers and hard pavement being replaced by endless forests and quiet dirt roads. The deep blue of the rocks around the tracks blur into one fluidic object, making them appear of as thin river which the trains floats above towards its destination.
There is also something magical about being between places. When traveling I find one exists on the fringe of existence in some ways. You truly are “neither here, nor there”. I’ve always enjoyed the sensation of traveling. The anticipation of change – how those you haven’t seen extended period of time have changed, also how those you left behind will have changed when you return. I once had a discussion with someone, about how the accessibility of people’s lives over the internet has ruined some of the magic of traveling – I’ll admit, it does take away from the aspect of discovering change in people lives – but right now it seems irrelevant. Reading on Facebook about an event in someone’s life never truly hits home for me until I see them in person. I know what has happened to my friends in Ottawa, but I’m so very excited to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
I know that I promised a ton of moments, but I came to the realization that there’s still a week of summer left, and concluded that I should stave off my litany until the last wisp of summer gives way to fall. Besides, summer for me is a mindset, not just a series of regularly hot days in a row. It’s more the hot days and cool nights, the suffocating humidity and the artificial cold of air conditioners.
Its about BBQ parties which run until the early morning.
Its cold beer on the patio and warm conversation with your best friends.
Its late night walks, going so long and so far that your feet hurt the next day.
See you soon.
-E
Wow. If you take the ones in Sydney, I’m sure you’ll have a different opinion about trains
My friend, I think you’re one big sap =) In which I think if we’re both happen to be on the same train, I’m sure we’ll have many hours of pleasant conversation talking about all aspects of life and just laughing throughout the whole time.
I’d simply have to agree that going somewhere be it traveling on a plane, a train, or just on foot brings about a different kind of sensation – a sensation that I look forward to when opportunity allows me to go on such a magical journey.
P.S. Warm Beer > Cold Beer and you know it!