Trains and restfull Sleep

Looking at the clock wasn’t necessary. He knew what time it was. After forty some odd years of waking up at the same time, he waited, staring at the light fixture that looked so much like a pigs nose. He had often wondered whether other people stared at the same pig’s nose when they couldn’t sleep.
Sleep would come shortly, but for now he waited, waiting for the sorrowful sound of the train’s horn to pierce the night air.
Having lived in the city all his life it seemed there was always trains passing by just close enough for him to hear the horn.
He had never bothered to find out if it was freight or a passenger train. He didn’t want to know. People would only complicate things. In his mind it was always a freight train carrying the stables of life to far off places. Nothing fancy on this train, coal, cattle, farm implements and machinery.
Strange thing was, as he heard the train’s horn his mind was far from any town.
Sitting on the front porch of the old farm house, the air filled with the smell of freshly cut grass coming from the meadow, he heard the whistle, raising his head he looked south towards the trestle as she lumbered across, smoke billowing from her smokestack.
Sleep would come now, restful, peaceful sleep.

I don’t question that just about any psychologist would have a field day with that little story. Perhaps Dr. Phil would even say, “How’s that working for you?”
A desire to escape from reality they would cry.
It is nothing more than the ranting of a very unhappy person trying to run from his/her responsibilities.
In some ways, they would be correct.







It expresses a simple desire to go back to a simpler time. Back to a time when the success of a man was not determined by the type of car he drove, the house he lived in, or the title he held at his job.
Instead the character of the man determined it. Was he honest? Was he hard working? Was his word his bond? Does he love his wife and children and provide for them the things they need and want? Is he the type of man that puts his family’s needs above his own? Does he respect his parents and help them whenever and however he can? Even if it means canceling that hunting trip he’s been looking forward to.
Back to a simpler time.
Back to a time when men and women determined what they needed in life not some slick television advertising. Back to a time when those fancy Nike shoes were nothing more than gym shoes, not a status symbol.
A time when we realized that we could actually live a better life by not having two hundred television channels, three was enough. A time when we were smart enough to realize that paying for two hundred television channels and the programming being trash was really stupid.
A time when we realized that Capt. Kirk needed a flip phone, he was discovering new worlds. We were satisfied with our simple rotary phones, after all we weren’t Capt. Kirk and we were OK with that.
Beam me up Scotty.
A time when husbands, wives, children, aunts and uncles, grandma’s and grandpa’s, brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins knew that there was nothing more important than family. When Mom would fix fried chicken, Aunt Hazel potato salad and Aunt Marie baked beans. When Uncle Sam would bring the soft drinks and pretzels. Uncle Joe the horse shoes and badminton. A time when the family would sit down at different tables, the kids always at their own, and give thinks to God. Thanks for the day, the food and always the family.



A time when a young man and a young woman realized that a union between them meant a union between two different families. They each loved the other enough to overlook that crazy Aunt or Uncle. All families have at least one, now don’t they.
A time when young men and women dreamed dreams of success, but put aside those dreams when they were blessed by a child. Abortion was not even an option. A baby had been conceived and now all the efforts of the young man and the young woman were focused on the baby.
A time when Church bells tolled and everyone in the valley knew why, and actually cared.
A simpler time.