The ARDS Foundation - Body, Mind, & Spirit

By Pastor Ian

“Driving the Train”

This morning I awoke to a promising start to the day. The skies were clear, although the sun was not yet risen, and it would be a few minutes before seven o'clock would be heard on the chimes in the hallway. By the time I had dressed, the sun was beginning to rise above the skyline to the southeast, and what was shaping up to be 'promising' was now looking positively beautiful. Multi-coloured diamonds of light glinted on our snow covered lawn, and the little feathered friends which give us so much joy at this time of year: sparrows, chickadees, juncos, blue jays, woodpeckers and many more….these little creatures were busying themselves, claiming breakfast from our feeders. The temperature gauge was reading - 25°, and I hasten to add this was the outside temperature! It was one of these days when deciding whether to stay in the warmth inside, or enjoy the crisp beauty of a sunny day outside, was challenging, to say the least. Some might say a 'no-brainer.' So I ducked the decision, made some breakfast, then sat down at my computer that welcomed me with a smiling picture of my granddaughter Madeline on its screensaver.

That has been my morning so far. How much thought do you give to your start of the day? If we are honest with ourselves, the sound of the alarm clock initiates a well-rehearsed pattern of activity which we follow Monday through Friday, and even Saturday or Sunday for some. Even the way we wash is a routine that has evolved over the years. Think about it!

We jump into the car. No, let's at least be honest…. We slump into the car and set off for work, probably making a stop at the same drive-in for coffee on the run (and a donut if you are Canadian), and overtake the same vehicles, or come to a standstill at the same place week in, week out. Sound familiar?

We need to "Break Out" once in a while and change the routine, otherwise one-day, we will wake up and ask ourselves "where did the past year, or even worse, YEARS, go?" Believe it or not, living life one day at a time is a difficult thing to do and yet, all we are given in this life is ONE DAY AT A TIME! We need to appreciate the 'diamonds in the snow;' the small birds that surround us if we will only look for them; the crisp freshness of a winter's morning, yes, even at - 25°. We need to pause for longer than a moment with our partner/children and tell them how much we appreciate them, (this will probably draw a couple of grunts from the children and a request for an advance on their allowance from those who are more awake) before we head out to the freeway jungle.

We need to commit to making that phone call TODAY, to someone who is special in our lives and has not heard from us for just too long. Make this your NEW morning routine and it becomes routine no longer. The mould has been broken, and life is being lived in a fuller, more appreciative way. Even the coffee will taste better and the feelings of guilt over the donut (Canadians) or the double cream, will be less. And YES, we may even 'jump' into the car in the morning.

There is a piece of prose I came across a few weeks back that speaks to breaking the mould of 'routine.' I share it with you. It's called:

Train Of Life

Some folks ride the train of life
Looking out of the rear,
Watching the miles of life roll by,
And marking every year.
They sit in sad remembrance,
Of wasted days gone by,
And curse their life for what it was,
And hang their head and sigh.
But I don't concern myself with that,
I took a different vent,
I look forward to what life holds,
And not what has been spent.

So strap me to the engine,
As securely as I can be,
I want to be up in the front,
To see what I can see.

I want to feel the winds of change,
Blowing strongly in my face,
I want to see what life unfolds,
As I move from place to place.

I want to see what's coming up,
Not be looking at the past,
Life's far too short for yesterdays,
It moves along too fast.
So if the ride gets bumpy,
While you are looking back,
Go up in front, and you may find,
Your life has jumped the track.
It's all right to remember,
That's part of history,
But in front is where it's happening,
There's so much mystery.
The enjoyment of living,
Is not what we have done,
It's looking ever forward,
To each day's dawning sun.
It's searching all the byways,
Never should you refrain,
For if you want to live your life,
You've got to drive the train.
(author's unknown)

If we wish, our history can be a positive contributor to our lives, and that which informs our living for the future. Living in the past is futile and wasteful, and as the prose says, 'if we want to live life to the fullest, we need to get into the driver's seat of our lives and DRIVE!'

As someone who has been exposed to the ARDS Syndrome, either personally or through a friend, you already know that life can come 'off the tracks.' It is at times like these we are most vulnerable to the "what if and why" questions that are often posed. The truth is that life will always throw us a curved ball when we least expect it, and our task is to accept the strike and be confident that we are going to hit a home run off the very next pitch. This kind of attitude comes from looking forwards; from driving our train of life, and not from sitting in the rear coaches remembering times past, and simply keeping warm. I had better get my ski-jacket on!

Pastor Ian.

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