My commute to work in the mornings is remarkably uneventful. Passengers board the crammed carts as they groggily travel to their destination. Half the time people are not even awake as they embark on their journey.
Yesterday was different though, yesterday there was a man at the station who stood out. Sorely. This man waited at the station, enthusiastically smiling and saying good morning to everyone and anyone who passed him by. Instantly, I knew that this fellow was not from around here ( I mean, who is ever that friendly and happy this early in the morning?).
Dressed in his Canadian tuxedo (matching denim jeans and a denim jacket), clip board in hand and sporting a large goofy grin- it was obvious this man was set for an adventure.
Intrigued by his choice of outfit and his zest for life, I approached the denim clad man to find out just what he was about. (Why the heck are you so happy, Mr Man on the train?).
As it turns out, it was this man’s first time taking the train, ever. He accounted to me ( in great detail), the complexities of finding the right place to board, the adventure of claiming a parking spot and learning how to purchase a ticket from the electronic kiosk.
Everything was new for this man, everything was exciting, every one he encountered was his friend.
As we stepped into the train, he looked the interior of the cart up and down. “Nice” he said to himself.
As we crossed the river, the man looked out the window, eyes wide open, taking it all in. He pointed to a bridge and told me he heard all about this project in addition to the complexities and planning that came with it. This man observed his surroundings like it was something magical to behold.
I just had to know, where did this man come from? Was he visiting? Did he just move here? Did he come from a far away land? When he answered, I was surprised by his response.”Oh no, he said, I’ve lived in this City my whole life, I’ve just never gone this route.”
Apparently he was taking the train because he needed to get to the court house to pay for a parking ticket. Not very exciting, I know.
But it got me thinking, How often do we have an adventure right under our nose but we wait until an unpleasant event leads us out of our comfort zone to a new journey?
Often we want to travel but miss what’s in our own backyard. I”m not suggesting that taking the train is a vacation destination- but based on this man’s reaction you could have sworn he was on a ride at an amusement park (the really really slow type of ride that stops every minute or so).
Sometimes we wait and wait for the next big adventure in our life. Sometimes we even question whether we’ll ever experience adventure and newness in our life. The excitement? It’s closer than you think. Sometimes it is just a case of stepping out onto the train platform.