I’ve always loved trains. As a little kid, one of my earliest train related memories was when I received a toy battery operated train locomotive for Christmas. I had wanted one all year long after my Great Aunt Alma started taking me for walks to the nearby train station to watch the trains go by. At first site, I was hooked. However, when I got my toy locomotive it came as an individual engine without the rest of the train set and no tracks. The way you operated it was turning power switch on and placing it on the floor where it ran in straight lines, random turns and circles instead of on a defined set of tracks with a set destination. I remember gleefully shouting for my Great Aunt Alma to turn it on for me. But first I insisted on being up on a chair or couch before it was turned on because the heavy metal locomotive with its loud train whistle, bright light, and erratic movements around the room without purpose or clear direction and order on the tracks scared me and felt threatening. When off the floor and watching the train from above I could enjoy and appreciate it more. I loved that locomotive toy! But later when I got full train sets with tracks, I enjoyed them more because they were more controlled, orderly, felt safe, and had a sense of purpose and direction for the destination they were traveling because the train was on the tracks.
I’m reminded today in our current world where things feel like that individual metal locomotive without the tracks, running noise around the room without clear direction, destination, order, or sense of safety, causing fear and worry. Our world right now for many may feel off track and chaotic like my first locomotive. And what many may need is to find ways to get back on track, like my first full train set. Being on track in life may mean different things to different people. For me it is about finding that clear direction and destination I want to go and the defined path or track I need to stay on. Also, for me it is about the safety of being on track, making sure the equipment, in this metaphor our bodies, minds and spirits, are in good working order and health so they can operate safely on the tracks. As we navigate difficult times and challenges, it is an important reminder to ask ourselves if we are on track or if we are like that wild noisy chaotic locomotive of my childhood running in circles without tracks? And if so, how do we get back on track to reach our desired destinations or goals?
I encourage you all to reflect on your stories for when you’ve found yourself off track. What caused it? How might you switch your perspective to ask what that situation was trying to teach you? What steps could you take to get back on track towards your clear destination?
May this reflection help you to get back on track or stay on track even if the ride feels a bit bumpy right now. And may you find the tracks leading you safely to your destination and goals because Your Story Matters.
Photo credit (used with permission): Mason Landry (Rails and Trails YouTube Channel)