A fellow author, Tom Hyland inspired me to write this short story. This story reflects on the joy of riding trains, buses, riding a bike or just walking. We miss out on too much of life when we drive by in our automobiles. Wow, we really do miss out of the wonder and beauty of this life.
Growing up as a New Yorker I would walk, take a train or I would ride the bus. Riding trains were so much fun. As kids we took the train to Coney Island or Far Rockaway Beach. It was also a beautiful thing to ride to the end of the train line and explore new horizons. My friend Steve called our adventures, "Lots of Times" because we had such great experiences every week. Looking back I think that I had a BETTER childhood than most. Fast forward, many years later when I was stationed in the US Air Force in Tokyo I enjoyed the trains once again. My wife and I would ride to towns in the mountains and explore the surrounding area. I would venture off and explore on my own first and when I would find a place that was fun and exciting I would take my wife there. We called it "doing site surveys" and it was a time that was filled with wonder and adventure all over again! While in Korea I would walk or ride the bus and enjoy the Korean countryside. I was not afraid to wander off with a friend or on my own. In fact, that made my stay in foreign countries much more enjoyable. If it were not for my childhood experiences I doubt that I would have been so adventurous. Today I live in Florida and having a car is a necessity. My exploration trips are when I ride my bike or walk. It's so much more fun to walk because you see things that you would miss if you would just drive by. So to all the folks driving by in their cars, you don't know how much life and love you are missing by not walking, taking a bus, a train or riding a bike! Enjoy Life! Amen!
I really enjoyed your trip down memory lane. When I grew up in Vt, walking was a way of life and almost everyone walked to get from one place to another and thought nothing of it. We did not have buses in our town of 7,000 and the trains that went by were usually freight trains from Canada. Once in a while there would be a few dining cars in which people traveled. My parents had one car. We enjoyed trips through the mountains,valleys and to Uncle Joe's farm. Life was much simpler then! The nifty fifties were a great time to be a kid! Unfortunately I can't walk too far now. My knee's are terrible, but I still manage to get around and do most of the things I want to do. Living in the country has its perks and I am able to enjoy the bounties nature has given to us!.......M
My wife and I, along with a couple of friends, have traveled extensively since retirement. I have seen all fifty states, my wife forty-nine. We and our friends have flown out West on several occasions, rented a car for two weeks after arriving, and took a 4,000 mile drive over that 2-week period. We had a basic route to follow but no set schedule to adhere to. We simply took our time and enjoyed our drives beyond belief. I've seen things and places my child's mind didn't dream of seeing when I was growing up in the '40s and '50s in rural Appalachia. At the same time, rural Appalachia was a wonderful place to grow up. City kids knew things we didn't, and we knew things they didn't know. Please know, John, that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your enjoyable experiences.
I was raised in a family of nature lovers. We would wander woods and beaches. To keep the tradition alive, I raised my children and grandchildren to appreciate and love the wonders of nature. Busses? We still go on bike rides..................to the woods, rivers, and beaches to explore or hunt for fossils and arrowheads. I could go on and on.................enjoyed this write immensely!!
You certainly you had great childhood, especially since you had the benefit of a great city that the best way to get around in was walking, not the subway or cab, and had many forms of public transportation to leave to go to fun places like Coney Island.
I had a great childhood too. But I don't think that makes a difference about being adventurous. Some people just seem to be more adventurous than others. With much of the population moving to sprawling cities like you have in Florida and where I am in Houston, kids these days are most often taken by their parents by car to monitored activities generally at distances too far to walk. It is unfortunate that with their noses in their smart phones, kids miss close observation of the world around them.
People here walk only because of necessity or poverty. There seems to be fear of walking on the street, especially for women. The few times that I have been able to get out and travel the streets in my wheelchair, I have noticed that people on the street tend to be a bit uptight and determined looking. But then people in their cars are also a bit angry and aggressive driving and rude behavior are very common. So many seem to have a hard time slowing down, relaxing and smelling the roses.
Re-Release! No longer back-listed. Return to the Olde Ways. The hustle and bustle of modern day life has brought many of us to a quick fix attitude.This book is for those of you who are fed up; have looked at your life and your loved ones and realize
Re-Release! No longer back-listed. Return to the Olde Ways. The hustle and bustle of modern day life has brought many of us to a quick fix attitude.This book is for those of you who are fed up; have looked at your life and your loved ones and realize
