Saturday, May 23, 2009

Hobo Dreams

My drive to work includes crossing a railroad track. There is a way around it so that you don't have to stop and wait. It involves backing up, doing a u-turn and going a couple of miles out of your way to get to where you would have wound up if you'd just waited a few minutes. And I've discovered that very few people are willing to wait.

I love it when a train crosses my path. It's like a mini-vacation in your car. You can talk on the phone, make some notes, count cars or just stare at the train and daydream.

I like doing the latter. Something about a train just takes me out of myself.

Yesterday was a very stressful day. There are things going on that I don't really feel I can post about - family dramas and angst that make me incredibly sad and angry all at the same time. But I am a bystander. It is not my story to tell at the moment, so I won't.

So yesterday, I was particularly susceptible to the hobo dream. Just getting out of my car, jumping on the train and waving goodbye to my life from the open door of a boxcar as it moves slowly down the track. Seeing the country from an open door like that has its appeal. Having no schedule, no responsibilities, no one to answer to. Some days that sounds like heaven - even if it means sleeping on a hard, moving floor with no bathroom in sight.

Then the lights stop flashing. The stopbar raises back to it's upright position. The back end of the final car eases out of sight around the bend. And I continue on my way to work.

Jennifer made me a lunchtime hobo though. She dragged me out of my office to a snazzy little buffet downtown (the words "chocolate mousse" convinced me that I NEEDED to go), where we drank tea, ate quinoa and cheesy meat stuff and talked. About family, about problems, about baclava fights and last minute kids. Stuffed to the gills and feeling much happier, we went back to work. It was a much better mini-vacation than hopping a train.

12 comments:

Jan said...

Good choice for your mini-vacation, and safer.

h said...

Neat post. Houseboats give me the same feeling. Not ritzy ones. Rickety old water-hobo ones.

Jennifer said...

I would be willing to do the hobo thing too, though. That's why I like the canned hams so much.

Jodi said...

In Louisville, there is a 6 Flags amusement park called Kentucky Kingdom, very close to the Louisville airport A friend of mine's son used to work there at the water park and she would drive him to work. Sometimes, when she was driving to pick him up, she would come to the fork in the highway where, if she went left, she went to the airport and if she went right, she went to the amusement park. And she said quite frequently at the juncture she would imagine going left inside of right, parking at the airport, getting on a plane and just leaving her life behind.

J.

nikki said...

Did you say chocolate mousse? Great post!

(I'm here if you need to chat. Thinking of you.)

Jan n Jer said...

You don't sound like a Hobo girl to me. Keep the faith, things will work out the way they are suppose to.

Unknown said...

That was great! I agree with Janis, you really don't sound like a hobo.

Anonymous said...

Being a grown-up is hard. The childish run away, the grown-ups stay and deal with it. You know which you are--and so do I. dad

Island Rider said...

So sorry this is a stressful time for you. It is hard, but I know you will get through it okay. Try to keep looking for the joyful things in the midst of the sorrow. Praying for you.

Pamela said...

hobos had nightmares. My dad did it for about 15 plus years. He had some stories.

Pamela said...

ps.
seems the stressful stuff is making the rounds.

grace to you - to see you through.

Karmyn R said...

My husband came home with all these stories about his new co-worker who used to hop trains in his 20's. (I was picturing this really old guy who did it back in the 40's or 50's)....no, the guy was doing it in the early 1990's.

Ever since then - whenever I get stopped by a train, I carefully watch for any riders!!!