The revelations just keep coming…

So, I have been saying all along, in this blog, that it is the people I am meeting who are making this adventure really relevant.  I knew it but today the reality finally set in.

I was riding the rails today (at my job on the railroad) and my car was full of the most amazing people.  They listened to my story and told me theirs.  I heard stories of missions work and traveling the world.  I realized that this is not an isolated day, the people I have met since I started working on the railroad have been awesome.  Everyone’s story is different, yet they are all based in being human and helping others.  I aspire to be that inspiring.

After work, when I had time to contemplate my newfound knowledge, I realized it has always been this way.  When I look back on my 25 years of working in an office, I barely remember the work.  I remember the people.  I remember all the things we as humans shared and all of our unique differences.  Filing papers and answering emails may have provided the means for a paycheck, but laughing or crying with someone created a lasting bond that cannot be destroyed.  Memories were created.

I always considered myself to be a loner.  I have always enjoyed my own company and never felt that I needed others to complete me.  I could not have been more wrong.  I see it clearly now.  Some of us may not need as much human contact as others, but it is still a necessary part of life.  Making connections with people, hearing their stories, feeling their joys and pain, sharing a laugh, working together for a common goal…these are the things that give a real meaning to life.  It’s what makes you get out of bed in the morning.

Like most things in my life, I have taken many people for granted.  That should be considered one of the bigger sins in life (maybe No. 11?).  No one should be taken for granted.  We have so much to learn from each other.  The more people I meet, the more inspired I become.  The more I talk with old friends, the more I realize how they shaped me into this person today (a mess still am I, but on the road to being better).  I can no longer discount the impact I feel when I talk with an old friend or when I meet someone new.  I want to be a better person, I want to get out there and be alive.

That is what this adventure is about; me not being afraid of everything anymore and taking the time I have left and actually doing something instead of just thinking about doing something.  I could never have gotten to this point without the people in my life.  It makes no difference if I have known you all my life or for just a few hours.  The impressions have been made and they are filling me with awe and a desire to learn more, do more and be more.

The song is right, people who need people are the luckiest people.  I get it now.  I cannot believe it took me so long to realize it, but I do and I think this may be a turning point in my 360 degree change.  I could not have done any of this without all of you, your support and your love has made this possible for me.  Thank you does not begin to cover it.  I am so very and completely blessed because of the people I know and the ones I have yet to meet.