Tracks

Life seems long sometimes.

The road isn’t always smooth.

I love shots of the railroad tracks.

When I was a teenager I walked the railroad tracks a lot. We used to pick them up behind the cemetery at the end of the street, and we’d take a long, slow walk to the grocery store or to the bar.

I’d walk and talk and we’d have a chew and a few beers.

Walked with a whole bunch of great friends.

We’d talk about the girls we liked, our dreams, what life would be like when we were finally adults.

I think of those buddies and it all went pretty well for all of us.

I used to be afraid of heights, which was pretty scary at the one part where we were exposed to a fall to the ground below.

I climb all over the place now...

...learned how not to look down.

I miss those days of dreaming about what is in front of me.

At 55 years old, well, the page is pretty filled up. There are a lot of days left, hopefully, and there are still things I want to do.

But have you ever walked a great distance and then turned around and look how much ground you’ve covered? I always do that on a long walk...

...I turn around and see what I’ve done.

Thing is:

You gotta’ keep moving.

“I make my way through the darkness because that’s where I’ll find the morning light.”

As a kid, everything was bigger!

Love seemed more desperate.

Disappointments stung for a long while and there was a lot of confusion and wonderment.

I kinda’ miss that.

“There’s no new, there’s just again.”

Life goes on.

Those three words are ones you really learn to rely on.

And this too will pass.

Back when I was walking the railroad tracks I knew those sayings but I didn’t really appreciate it.

Some of the people I’ve loved have fallen away as I’ve walked forward.

Those who passed away are still with me...

...others stopped somewhere along the way...

...didn’t keep moving forward.

Yet, as I look at those tracks, now I wonder how far the journey will be.

“I got something on my mind that keeps me straight and walking proud.”

I used to walk along, looking at my feet, hitting the ties on the same spot, sometimes missing and even falling down.

Laughed a lot back then.

Told some stories.

I recall exactly where I was on this tracks when a buddy told me that he’d slept with a girl. I couldn’t believe it! We weren’t old enough!!

There’s a lot of miles on my feet now.

Sometimes they ache.

But forward I go!

Wanna’ see what lies ahead!