I love this metaphor. I am laying down track as a homeschooling mom designing my children’s experience of the world. Trying to improve over the track I took to get here. Also not sorry for being a nonconformist, embracing errors, course correcting as needed.
Ooooh, laying track. So good. So much energy! I’m laying track for something art and travel-related. I haven’t figured out the details but I’m moving forward.
That brings back memories of the passion and energy we had in those days, how we left our comfort zones, laid track in our own professional and personal worlds, and how we served our students. There surely was tension and it was quite a ride!!! I’m going to visualize ‘laying track’. for my life now. I can see up to the curve, and then I’ll see a bit more beyond that. And I’m going to visualize the scenery along the way. Maybe slow down, enjoy the country side, maybe speed along the valley floor, but being aware at my age, after those years of pushing the engine, that laying track doesn’t have to be all consuming.
There are stories of the trains that ran through Mansfield every day, and on most days, the engineers stopped at the little gas station a couple of miles south of here in Canoe Camp, kept the engine running and had lunch there, then climbed back on and went on their way. I’m just gobsmacked that this was just a normal day—‘parking’ a huge steam engine for a half hour lunch and catching up with the news, to tell the folks at the next stop in Blossburg. Social media was much kinder then!
A brand new way to think!
Thanks Maria, always love to hear your take.
I love this metaphor. I am laying down track as a homeschooling mom designing my children’s experience of the world. Trying to improve over the track I took to get here. Also not sorry for being a nonconformist, embracing errors, course correcting as needed.
Thanks Michelle, glad it hit home for you in such a powerful way. Nothing more important than what you're doing.
Laying track is a very helpful image as I relentlessly poke away at the revisions to a novel draft.
Yay! Good feedback. Thanks Jan
Ooooh, laying track. So good. So much energy! I’m laying track for something art and travel-related. I haven’t figured out the details but I’m moving forward.
Can’t wait to hear about your tracks. Thanks, Trish
That brings back memories of the passion and energy we had in those days, how we left our comfort zones, laid track in our own professional and personal worlds, and how we served our students. There surely was tension and it was quite a ride!!! I’m going to visualize ‘laying track’. for my life now. I can see up to the curve, and then I’ll see a bit more beyond that. And I’m going to visualize the scenery along the way. Maybe slow down, enjoy the country side, maybe speed along the valley floor, but being aware at my age, after those years of pushing the engine, that laying track doesn’t have to be all consuming.
There are stories of the trains that ran through Mansfield every day, and on most days, the engineers stopped at the little gas station a couple of miles south of here in Canoe Camp, kept the engine running and had lunch there, then climbed back on and went on their way. I’m just gobsmacked that this was just a normal day—‘parking’ a huge steam engine for a half hour lunch and catching up with the news, to tell the folks at the next stop in Blossburg. Social media was much kinder then!
Great article, Trish!!
Thank you Nancy for the memories and the train history.
Fond memories with great thinkers.