This was contributed by “Anonymously me”, a buddy of mine…..
I’m not a blogger… Not by any stretch of the imagination! But once in a while something comes along which stirs me up a little bit. So, you will have to bear with me in this post… Quite likely my first blog post ever!
So here goes…
You’re sitting on the train and you get to the end of the line… Here in England, you’ll usually get some kind of an announcement – “All change please!” So you either get off the train or get on the nerves of the conductor who wants you off. Oh, and of course – “Please make sure you take all your personal belongings with you!”
Life can be a bit like a train journey. You get on at a station and you’re off! The signs at the station tell you the destination of the train and all the stops along the way. It doesn’t always turn out like that, though, does it? What happens when you get on a train, only to find it’s actually the wrong one? It doesn’t stop just for you, you have to wait ’til the next station. Sometimes the next station is a long, long way from where you thought you’d be.
Sometimes, you stop before getting on board and ask someone if you’re getting on the right train. They say you should really be getting on at platform 3… Only after that train has left the station, with you on board, do you slowly begin to realise you’re on the wrong train! And you should have been on the one you were about to get on right at the start! This train doesn’t have many stops, so you just have to go along with it until you can eventually get off…
So what does all this have to do with change? Well, for me it has everything to do with change. I could have written about global change and how something must be done about the Middle East. Or how climate change should be addressed and have a moan about everybody messing it up. But we can all talk about that until the cows come home… or rather, until the train pulls in at the station. No… I decided that I should write about what change is for me.
You see, I’m on a train at the moment (not literaly – for those who may get confused). I’m talking about my life’s journey. I’ve been on this train for the last 13 years, or thereabouts. I got on because I stopped and asked someone who I perceived to be a wise elder if I was getting on the right train – he told me to get on at platform 3… While the journey has been interesting, with some great scenery along the way, I’ve come to realise that this train is heading in the wrong direction. However, I don’t regret getting on this train. The people I’ve met, the friendships I’ve made, the other passengers on the train, it’s all been great. There have been challenging moments, times when I’ve upset other passengers, had a few “run-in’s”, even changed to a different carriage a couple of times. But regrets? Not a single one. Because this journey has made me who I am today and I probably wouldn’t have been ready for what’s to come.
But it does mean that I have to get off at the next stop and find my way back to the train i should’ve been on back at the station. The great thing is I get to take a whole bunch of passengers with me! Ok, that may seem a bit wierd, but I couldn’t think of a way to say that I will still have all my friends I’ve made along the way…
So now, the time for change has come. The train is still some distance from the next stop, but I have to start preparing to get off. So what changed my mind? Did I really change my mind? For some it would be the circumstances in which they find themselves. For others it could be a change in attitude. What about love? That’s a big one! Love can make you do all sorts of crazy things… No, for me a series of events and situations has rekindled something that has been buried for far too long. I belong to an organisation which has as one of its sayings, “Think global, act local”. This pretty much sums up what it’s all about for me. I look at the world around me, as I’m sure many of you do, and think to myself, “Something has to change!” And so… I may not be able to change the world, but I can sure have a go… and I’m going to start with where I am now.
(Cue the soundtrack… “This train terminates here – All Change Please!”)
