Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that
spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, 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 hills, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we
will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so
many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a
completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering -
waiting,waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new
450SL Mercedes Benz." "When I put the last kid through college." "When I have paid off
the mortgage." "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall
live happily ever after!"
Sooner or later, we must realize that there is no 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. It constantly
out distances us.
"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "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. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of
tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat
more icecream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunset, laugh more
and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough.