The Station
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.
We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent.
We are traveling by train.
Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways,
of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazzing 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 hills,
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 will be 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 for the station.
When we reach the station, that will be it !!
We cry, "when I'm 18..." "When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz...
"When I put the last kid through college..." "When I have paid off the mortgage.."
"When I get a promotion..." "When I reach 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.
It isn't the burdens of today that drive people 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 ailes 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.
-- Author unknown

New rice and flowers beside the road in Shuzenji.

It is even better when you catch your very own trout.

Fishing is such fun at Joren no taki, a waterfall on the Izu peninsular.

Wasabi, that hot green stuff you get on your sushi, grows in water in the mountains, it looks like a green river.

Lunch time bamboo for the praire dogs at the Mishima zoo.

At Shuzenji this little girl wants to do her own abolutions. The water in this font is actually warm as it comes from a geothermal source.

In the afternoon sun the flower arrangements are there for all who care to see.

Amongst all the Japanese graves shines this beautiful statue.

The Aoyama cemetry is a beautiful place to visit which many long time visitors to Tokyo have never taken the time to go to.

My 88 year old father in law pours me out a shin nama Asahi beer when we had lunch recently.