Re: Jim Rohn's comments...Session 2

[Arne Hetherington <arne@sd22.bc.ca>]

Hello Tim;

As a distance ed student taking Dr. A's class I will nodoubt be missing out
on many interesting and thought provoking discussions, videos etc.  Your
comments regarding the recommended reading list and Positive Mental
Attitude reminded me of something a colleague of mine gave me a number of
years ago shortly before she passed away.  I thought you, and the class
might be interested in reading it.


THE STATION

by

Robert J. Hastings


Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.  We see ourselves on
a long trip that spans the continent.  We are travelling by train.  Out the
windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of
children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of
smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of
flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines
and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.  On a certain day at a
certain hour we will pull into the station.  Bands will be playing and
flags waving.  Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true
and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw
puzzle.  How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for
loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

When we reach the station, "that will be it!" we cry.  "When I'm 18."
"When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!"  "When I put the last kind through
college."  "When I have paid off the mortgage!"  "When I get a promotion."
"When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive
at once and for all.  The true joy of life is the trip.  The station is
only a dream.  It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment"  is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm
118:24:  "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be
glad in it."  It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad.  It is the
regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.  Regret and fear are twin
thieves who rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles  and counting the miles.  Instead, climb more
mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers,
watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less.  Life must be lived as we go
along.  The station will come soon enough.

Take Care,

****************************************
Arne Hetherington                                 phone  604-545-1396
Kalamalka Secondary School                  fax     604-545-7394
7900 McClounie Rd                                web
http://www.sd22.bc.ca/kalamalka/arne/index.html
Vernon, B.C. Canada
V1B 1P8