I've always liked this but hadn't gotten it put back onto my pages. In October of 2004 my brother-in-law passed away. Although he never did manage to find recovery we found his AA book among his belongings and this reading was tucked inside of it. It must have meant something to him for him to keep it 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're traveling by passenger train, and 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 city skylines and village halls, of biting winter and blazing summer, and cavorting spring and docile fall. But uppermost in our minds is our destination. A certain day and a certain hour and we'll pull in the station with bands playing and flags waving, And once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true, and so many wishes fulfilled, And so many pieces of our lives finally and neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering...waiting, waiting, waiting for the station. However, sooner or later we must realize there's no one station, no one place to arrive once and for alt. true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us. "When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "And we'll 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. 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 oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Look at life from different points of view. Examine the usual for the extraordinary. The station will come soon enough.
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