Trains tell stories
Today I'm bracing myself for a long train journey. I'm off to take part in the Welsh Presbyterian's General Assembly. I've been given the honour to address the Assembly on behalf of the partner churches in the UK. Over the past few weeks Martha and I have been on a number of trains with one or two interesting consequences. Regular readers of the blog will no doubt have a chuckle and know what I mean. I think I might have to guard against "Deep Train Thrombosis". The thing is it sounds great travelling by train but at this time of the year, there is seldom enough room on the trains to accommodate luggage. I dread to think what it will be like in London during the Olympics. You can't take your luggage into the seat and the overhead shelves are too small, so the luggage lies around the overcrowded luggage racks in the train doorways. The train passages fill up with people holding pieces of luggage or wheeling them until they get stuck and can move no further. You have to plan in advance when your going to try and move toward the exit and get off the train. you also have to fight your way to get a hold of your luggage. When I started to get off the train at Wolverhampton, my case had disappeared. I kept my nerve and continued to look for it. Finally I discovered it under a huge big black bag that was completely obscuring it. Stay with me we'll get round to the deep train thrombosis stuff. We got off the train just in time hoping to make the connection for Aberystwyth. We went in search of platform one. Thanks to my iphone App I knew the platform number however it doesn't tell you where to find the platform. We heard the announcement that the train was approaching. So we hurried pulling our cases behind us. I often think the man who invented the case with wheels must have did well for himself. When we started out on this journey to Aberystwyth we had our seats booked right through. However when we arrived at Platform one the train was full. There was no space to swing your case. We were packed in like sardines. Now, it takes a certain amount of courage to fight your way through the crowd and demand your seat. Needless to say we didn't have that certain courage. Even if you've booked it in advance! Sometimes on the train you've got to take the strain. Who knows, who was sitting in my seat. At least we were on the train heading for our destination it would take 2 hours and 42 mins. Martha complained that she couldn't move her foot she was jammed in tight. Her suitcase and another suitcase and a human body all acted to created the human sardine sandwich, making it impossible to move, thus creating a possible "Deep Train Thrombosis" incident. Twenty minutes later the train stopped and the passengers poured out. Written on one man's carrier bag as he squeezed past, were the words 70% of the contents of this bag is recyclable. It got me wondering what was in the bag. Then I started to think where does all this stuff go? I mean we all buy so much and really need so little. Talking about stuff, how many photographs do you think people take and never look at again? There must be billions of pictures lying doing nothing in digital space. I've been doing a little bit of reflecting on what I can learn from the journey I made today. It was a bit like a parable of life. Everything is going well then 'stuff' happens. Nothing in life seldom ever goes to plan. It's how we cope with the interruption,the delays, the lost seats,the overcrowded compartments, the people who come and go. Perhaps I need to be glad that people were on the train looking forward to arriving at Eire destination.
Posted By: h On: 16 Jul 2012 At: 4:25pm
From one who loves travelling on trains I can understand your sentiments completely.
I always find train travelling a time for daydreaming out the window, reflecting on life..and, unknown to my fellow unsuspecting travellers, such a great place for praying for them as individuals.
Just as well perhaps that our travelling companions have no idea what the person sitting nearby is thinking.
Enjoying your blogs. Thankyou!