I had a dream last night that I was the sole passenger on a train —
A train that ran on no track.
I only realized it when we passed through a place I wasn’t expecting.
“This isn’t on the route”, I thought.
I then noticed the train was free-falling down a steep slope.
I was petrified.
To my amazement, the unseen engineer skillfully navigated a sharp right turn onto an old trolley track,
And we descended a curving road paved with Belgian block.
The ride down was rough, but as we reached the bottom, we slid comfortably onto level ground.
Then I watched with disbelief as the train coasted through a forbidding gate —
The guard standing sentinel smiled and waved us through as if we were expected.
I finally understood that this chaotic journey had been carefully orchestrated:
The route without a track was exactly how I was supposed to reach my destination.
It’s true that the mercurial twists and turns of my life have often scared and perplexed me.
I learned long ago to work with whatever tools are available to me in the moment, without attachment,
Trusting that, somehow, it will lead me to my next step.
When the tool inevitably breaks and the moment ends,
I’ve never hesitated to take the next turn, the next bend, the next exit —
To my mind, I’ve never had a choice.
To those outside my train, it must look confusing and erratic.
I’ve become used to the looks of bewilderment, the remarks of scorn and ridicule.
What people have yet to comprehend is that this is the future planned for all of us:
The tracks that were long ago laid are being actively dismantled and destroyed.
No longer will we have the luxury of following a prescribed route in comfort —
We must now learn to trust the wisdom of irrational guidance.
Buckle up.