I am walking, walking along a mountain path and peering over an open valley when suddenly the earth shifts below me and I am nearly thrown over the edge. Then I wake up.
They had only met for a moment, but Alice saw herself in his eyes. She recognized part of her spirit in his. He felt familiar.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘I’m headed to 1992 Valparaiso Street.’
Her heart leapt. She’d found him, someone she could ride this train with happily all the way to Valparaiso Street. She could see her future in him. But wait, best not to get ahead of herself…
‘Hah, you’re joking.’
She was trying to play it cool, not allowing herself to get her hopes up too much.
‘Uh… no? I’m getting off at the next stop.’
Her heart sank, just as the rain started to pelt the train car. She knew not to jump to conclusions, not to allow herself to get too excited without knowing all the details. She let something slip, ‘it’s not real you know.’
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in the existence of 1992 Valparaiso Street, she was very much hoping she was heading there too. It was that he thought he had to take this stop to get there. She wondered how much she should say, as she had also gotten off at that stop a few years back looking for the same thing… but she thought about all she learned from that journey. How it was that exact journey that eventually led her to here. To being able to finally fully appreciate this warm, cozy, peacefully lit carriage smoothly passing through golden light and mountains whose peaks and colors left her breathless. She had also found herself passing through here years earlier, but hadn’t been able to notice the beauty around her at the time. But now she felt a groundedness, a peace she was fully present for and ready to appreciate every moment of.
She knew that he had to take this more rugged, more dangerous, more lonesome path. She knew the value of trudging through the dark valleys, the dirty cities, the periods of isolation, where she grew to learn what she was capable of and what she truly wanted. He had to do the same. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to notice the beauty on this path anyways. He’d be too caught up in his head, wondering and thinking about the other paths and trains he could have taken, to be able to sit still in awe of this one. She wanted him to stay more than anything, but she knew she had to let him go. She turned to look out the window so he wouldn’t see her disappointment. She turned back towards him and smiled, trusting in a plan bigger and better than the one she thought she saw the moment before.
As the train pulled away, Alice’s heart sank as she saw him standing outside in the rain. All she wanted to do was give him an umbrella and some rainboots to help keep him warm and dry on his journey. She wanted him to know that no matter how unprepared he felt for this, he would make it through to the other side. He would find his way back to the train with the most beautiful views to the most beautiful place. And that for him, that very well may be a different form of transport altogether; maybe it’s a boat instead. The views that are most beautiful to her may be different to those most beautiful to him, and he owed it to himself to figure out what path he truly wanted to be on, without hesitation. It wasn’t her place to tell him what train to take, what stop to get off at, what form of transport would provide him the most peace and beauty, because only he could truly discover that.
The train continued on without him and she was now passing through the most beautiful changing colors of autumn; a reminder that there is also beauty to be found in changing times and in decay and loss. It leads to transformation. She knew that soon, the rain that drenched him and left him shivering would shift into white, sparkling snow and would present exhilarating opportunities for him to take advantage of. It had done the same for her years earlier. But for her the white snow turned to white sand and she learned to surf waves of life she never thought capable of riding. He would soon do the same. She was excited for him. For all he would experience. She hoped that one day, at the end of his journey, that he’d find her on Valparaiso Street and tell her of his adventures. No matter how long it takes him to get there, she’ll be happy to see him when he finally arrives. In the meantime, she’ll be praying for strength, courage, perseverance, clarity and love for him on his path.
Alice repeated one of her favorite quotes to herself, that she picked up while on her own journey from that train stop:
‘In the good life, we take nothing for granted. We don’t crave certainty or black and white simplicity, even in love, because we know it might distract us from the challenge of facing and accepting things the way they really are, in all their chaos and unpredictability, their mingled joy and sorrow.’
They had only met for a moment, but Alice saw herself in his eyes. She recognized part of her spirit in his. He felt familiar.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘I’m headed to 1992 Valparaiso Street.’
Her heart leapt. She’d found him, someone she could ride this train with happily all the way to Valparaiso Street. She could see her future in him. But wait, best not to get ahead of herself…
‘Hah, you’re joking.’
She was trying to play it cool, not allowing herself to get her hopes up too much.
‘Uh… no? I’m getting off at the next stop.’
Her heart sank, just as the rain started to pelt the train car. She knew not to jump to conclusions, not to allow herself to get too excited without knowing all the details. She let something slip, ‘it’s not real you know.’
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in the existence of 1992 Valparaiso Street, she was very much hoping she was heading there too. It was that he thought he had to take this stop to get there. She wondered how much she should say, as she had also gotten off at that stop a few years back looking for the same thing… but she thought about all she learned from that journey. How it was that exact journey that eventually led her to here. To being able to finally fully appreciate this warm, cozy, peacefully lit carriage smoothly passing through golden light and mountains whose peaks and colors left her breathless. She had also found herself passing through here years earlier, but hadn’t been able to notice the beauty around her at the time. But now she felt a groundedness, a peace she was fully present for and ready to appreciate every moment of.
She knew that he had to take this more rugged, more dangerous, more lonesome path. She knew the value of trudging through the dark valleys, the dirty cities, the periods of isolation, where she grew to learn what she was capable of and what she truly wanted. He had to do the same. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to notice the beauty on this path anyways. He’d be too caught up in his head, wondering and thinking about the other paths and trains he could have taken, to be able to sit still in awe of this one. She wanted him to stay more than anything, but she knew she had to let him go. She turned to look out the window so he wouldn’t see her disappointment. She turned back towards him and smiled, trusting in a plan bigger and better than the one she thought she saw the moment before.
As the train pulled away, Alice’s heart sank as she saw him standing outside in the rain. All she wanted to do was give him an umbrella and some rainboots to help keep him warm and dry on his journey. She wanted him to know that no matter how unprepared he felt for this, he would make it through to the other side. He would find his way back to the train with the most beautiful views to the most beautiful place. And that for him, that very well may be a different form of transport altogether; maybe it’s a boat instead. The views that are most beautiful to her may be different to those most beautiful to him, and he owed it to himself to figure out what path he truly wanted to be on, without hesitation. It wasn’t her place to tell him what train to take, what stop to get off at, what form of transport would provide him the most peace and beauty, because only he could truly discover that.
The train continued on without him and she was now passing through the most beautiful changing colors of autumn; a reminder that there is also beauty to be found in changing times and in decay and loss. It leads to transformation. She knew that soon, the rain that drenched him and left him shivering would shift into white, sparkling snow and would present exhilarating opportunities for him to take advantage of. It had done the same for her years earlier. But for her the white snow turned to white sand and she learned to surf waves of life she never thought capable of riding. He would soon do the same. She was excited for him. For all he would experience. She hoped that one day, at the end of his journey, that he’d find her on Valparaiso Street and tell her of his adventures. No matter how long it takes him to get there, she’ll be happy to see him when he finally arrives. In the meantime, she’ll be praying for strength, courage, perseverance, clarity and love for him on his path.
Alice repeated one of her favorite quotes to herself, that she picked up while on her own journey from that train stop:
‘In the good life, we take nothing for granted. We don’t crave certainty or black and white simplicity, even in love, because we know it might distract us from the challenge of facing and accepting things the way they really are, in all their chaos and unpredictability, their mingled joy and sorrow.’
TO BE CONTINUED
I hope and pray he finds what he’s searching for and that all the sacrifices he made along the way were worth it.