The Inner Journey

We are all travelers in this journey called life.

Sometimes your journey consists of lying in a hammock enjoying the calm lapse of waves in the Caribbean. Other times you’re bustling through a populated city, taking in the excitement of new sites and smells in New York. And then, there are times when you’re simply in transit.

You’re sitting on a long, winding train, looking out the window, reflecting on your journey. Memories of where you’ve been and who you’ve met dance around in your mind, nearly coming to life on the distant landscapes outside of the window. Your memories mix together with your expectations of the next adventure.

As you get lost in this inner dialogue on your transition from one place to the next, suddenly the ticket validator greets you, and just like that, you’re brought back to the present.Looking around, you begin to notice the vibrant colors in the train.

Wow! Life is happening, and you are here, really here. For the first time in your life, you are sitting on a train without distraction of the zooming landscapes on both sides of you. You focus on the immediacy of where you are.

You hand the tired-looking woman your crumpled ticket. She straightens it out with a half smile. As you look at her, you realize her eyes are full and dark, a deep ocean of gray and blue. She hands you back the ticket with a simple “Grazie”. You smile, taking in the silent connection that comes with exchanging a moment with a stranger.

Even if you’d rather busy yourself with planning the next destination, you decide to settle into the uneasiness of the swaying train ride. You sit back and listen to the sights, sounds, smells…the nowness of the perfectly ordinary, but somehow extraordinary present moment.

Just as you start to nod away into a dream about another faraway place, DING. It’s your stop, and you scurry off the train without a moment’s notice.