The train stations of our lives...

I love train stations.

I love to people watch and sight seeing.

If I could sit and watch folks walk by all day long, with a good cup of coffee and a journal, I would be such a happy man. I can see myself in old age doing this very thing and being perfectly content.

You could say that I have been in a reflective, prolific mood here recently. (Hence my attachment to OPRAH- ha ha ha ha)

But this photo came across my Facebook news feed the other day and I had to find it...

For you see it reminds me of a moment earlier in my life that was interesting and intriguing and profound....

and life shaking...

And we always need those moments, don't we??
Shake it up a bit when we get too stale...or stagnant?

I was living in Clearwater, Florida. Right out of graduate school and in my first performing contract. It was awesome to be in Florida and it was an adventure to be sure. The company I was working for was probably not the greatest I could've worked for fresh our of grad school. It was an unhealthy work environment early on in the contract and we were forced to stay in it for four or five months... but looking back on it now, this contract was life defining on many levels...I don't look at contracts the same way since and am always skeptical of shady dealings. I have zero tolerance for shade. But I digress...

While working down there, a couple of my cast mates and I decided to make a day of it and go out and explore the area....shopping, beach, relaxing, etc. Along our journey, we came upon a house that had the sign "Psychic" in the window. We all looked at each other and thought, "YES!! Let's give this an attempt."

Mind you...I am not fully sure if I buy into the whole psychic thing...there are too many times where you can spin pretty much anything to make it fit and this could totally be the case with this adventure as well...but here's the deal. I said NOTHING coming onto this woman's front porch. I introduced myself, paid her the $25, and she handed me the cards and explained to me the process she would go though to read my future endeavors. I took the cards and did as she asked and handed them back to her. I remained silent as much as possible, hoping not to reveal too much. She spread out the cards in a certain way and began to flip them over and give me my reading.

The FIRST thing she said was this, "I see you standing at a train station. Actually standing on the platform. There are lots and lots of trains rushing by and there are lots and lots of signs SWOOSHING by and you are standing there. You are just trying to decide which train to get on. Which sign should you pick. You are in the midst of something really negative right now. And it is all encompassing and rushing by you. I just see you standing there."

I kinda feel like that even today, at times. But I am older now and remind myself of this...

My friends, don't be standing on the train platform, watching the signs and the commotion and the trains rushing by you, whipping your hair around this way and that... when you can actually be IN the race. One of my dear mentors in life once said, "We are going to be faced with great decisions in our lives. Make the best possible choice you can in the moment and then NEVER second guess, NEVER look back. Just jump in full feet and begin to swim."

Carry on, fellow travelers.

Carry on...