My Train of Thought

I love trains.

I love sitting in my car, and waiting for trains to go by. I don't go driving around just to look for them, but when I find one I get really excited. I park right behind the last line on the |X| (sideways) and turn my radio all of the way up. I start to rock out to whatever song comes onto my favorite rock station (which happened to be The Wallflower's 'One Headlight'. Classic.) and all of the cars that are lined up behind me are probably wondering why my car is shaking and pulsing to the bass of my speakers.

Today I waited 45 minutes just for a single train to pass after I picked up something from my friend Mallory's house, and the whole escapade included the train stopping and backing up. A lot. I suppose that I just find something peaceful and serene about sitting there, completely parked, knowing that there is no stopping that train from blocking my way home. I take the opportunity whenever it presents itself.

Whenever I went to visit my grandma when I was little, I would always tell her to "follow the train" when we were driving in her car, (now, ironically, my car?) and she would. She would drive me to the next street over just to watch the train go by again, and repeat until I was satisfied. I was the train-chaser. I can't believe she did that for me, because I know that a lot of people hate trains with a burning passion.

I mean, sometimes I hate them, too, if I'm going somewhere and I'm running a tad late, but for the most part when I have nowhere to be, I enjoy the time while I can. To some this may be wasting time, but to me it's a complete luxury.

So the next time you come across a train and you have nowhere to go, just try it. Forget everything, and park. Turn on your radio, sing a few songs. It's the closest thing I have found to stopping time for a few more moments thus far. It's an amazing feeling.