I finally understood why my dad always stopped to watch the trains

Three years ago I was stuck in traffic outside of Bakersfield, super annoyed, when a freight train started rolling by. I mean, I was about to honk but then I just watched it, all the different cars and graffiti. It hit me that my dad wasn't just killing time, he was taking a minute to watch something big and simple do its job in a world that feels so messy. Has anyone else had a moment like that with something a parent always did?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer78214d ago

I'm like @keith900 but with the coffee maker, just staring at it like a weirdo.

robert_scott5714d ago

Remember watching my mom stare at the clothesline. Took me years to see she was just watching the peace of it all.

keith90014d ago

Yeah, that "peace of it all" part. I finally got it when I caught myself doing the same thing with the dishwasher light in a quiet house.