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Don’t Forget the Journey September 27, 2010

Posted by Marc Troeger in ambition, goals, journey, Passion.
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Train TracksOne of my favorite essays of all time is Robert J. Hastings, “The Station”.  It speaks volumes about where you want to be in life, what you want to accomplish, and how far you want to go in order to meet your goals.  But, what Hastings makes you realize at the end of his essay is that the goals, the achievements, that one place you want to be… your station… those are the ends to which you arrive.  It’s the trip you took getting there that is the most important part.

I read this essay often.  And I don’t read it enough.  I constantly want to be reminded about the journey.

THE STATION
By Robert J. Hastings

Tucked Away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision.  We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent.  We’re traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.  On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station.  There will be bands playing and flags waving.  And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true.  So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.  How restlessly we pace the aisles, damming the minutes for loitering, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all.  The true joy of life is the trip.  The station is only a dream.  It constantly outdistances us.

When we get to the station that will be it!” we cry.  Translated it means, “When I’m 18 that will be it!  When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it!  When I put the last kid through college that will be it!  When I have paid off the mortgage that will be it!  When I win a promotion that will be it!  When I reach the age of retirement that will be it!  I shall live happily ever after!”

Unfortunately, once we get “it,” then “it” disappears.  The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad.  Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow.  Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles.  Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less.  Life must be lived as we go along.  The station will come soon enough.

Everything is Going to Be Alright… September 12, 2010

Posted by Marc Troeger in Marriage, Passion, Relax, stress, Technology, work.
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It’s been a hectic month as I’ve started working with a new client on a long-term project in New York City.  This requires me to travel to the Big Apple each week.  While this may sound exciting and glamorous to many of you, the glitter and shine of the big city has faded a little as I have begun to settle in to a long process of supporting my client’s needs.

And those needs have required me to put in some monster hours.  It has literally been non-stop and at times the pace I keep has almost made me feel out of breath, even while sitting at my desk!

Fortunately, this past weekend, I was able to take a break and catch a quick flight to my home in Ohio, and to a loving and caring wife, even though she knew I would continue to spend hours on my computer, in my home office.

So…it was late Saturday night and I was still hammering away at another document.   I popped open a web browser to do more research when I suddenly ended up where I hadn’t planned.   And I just stopped and stared.  The message couldn’t have been any more clear.

I could not continue. I could not perform another keystroke.  I just stopped, left everything and went upstairs to crawl in bed with my slumbering wife.  And, even though I tossed and turned a bit as I found my sleep, I just knew that, in the end, everything was going to be alright.

I think everyone should make this their home page.  I think everyone should stop and stare at it from time-to-time.  And I think that everyone should know that… [CLICK HERE]