IT was a 1947 steam engine. I looked at the pictures of it. It was going to do a heritage run and the whole city was excited last Sunday. Every station that the train passed was crowded with young and old. The old telling the young that the iron monster huffing and puffing away was once a part and parcel of their lives.
I myself remembered those journeys where at a curve one looked out of the window and saw the engine far, far ahead, pulling the train with a resolve and determination that was so very apparent. One could actually see the wheels pushing forward like a giant horse hauling its responsibility along. It was as I saw the pictures of the black beauty and as my thoughts went back to another era that I remembered lines I had heard many years ago: Some folks ride the train of life, Looking out the rear, Watching miles of life roll by, And marking every year. They sit in sad remembrance, Of wasted days gone by, And curse their life for what it was, And hang their head and cry. But I don’t concern myself with that, I took a different vent, I look forward to what life holds, And not what has been spent. So strap me to the engine, As securely as I can be, I want to be out on the front, To see what I can see.
I want to feel the winds of change, Blowing in my face, I want to see what life unfolds, As I move from place to place. I want to see what’s coming up, Not looking at the past, Life’s too short for yesterdays, It moves along too fast.
So if the ride gets bumpy, While you are looking back, Go up front, and you may find, Your life has jumped the track. It’s alright to remember, That’s part of history, But up front’s where it’s happening, There’s so much mystery.
The enjoyment of living, Is not where we have been, It’s looking ever forward, To another year and ten. It’s searching all the byways, Never should you refrain, For if you want to live your life, You gotta drive the train.
Yes my friends, if you want to live your life fully, achieve your goals and reach the heights you have set for yourself then you need to drive your train, sit in the driving seat and chug, chug, chug your way along..!
