The Circle Of Freethinkers
The Circle Of Freethinkers with Mike Messeroff
"All aboard to heaven!"
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"All aboard to heaven!"

A short story about enjoying the journey

Hi friends. Happy holidays and thank you for being a part of The Circle Of Freethinkers!

The theme for my writing this month is: The Gift of Self Love.

Today’s short story, "All aboard to heaven!", is a precautionary tale about enjoying the journey of life or missing it in a rush to the end.

Give yourself the gift of enjoying the journey. It sure beats the alternative.

-Mike

~~~

It all started with a train ticket.

"All aboard to heaven!" shouted the Conductor.

He continued, “Please pay attention to a few important details about our trip:

  1. There will be many stops along the way. Try to relax.

  2. Our ride will ascend a craggy, mountainous track. You have the best seat in the house.

  3. This is a one-way ride only. If you’re not here for heaven, you’re on the wrong train.

Lastly folks, and most importantly, enjoy the journey!”

I was in.

I knew heaven awaited and that's where I wanted to be—and as soon as possible.

Aboard the train, we began chugging up the tracks. Lost in my eagerness, the ride flew by and we quickly arrived at Stop One.

“Enjoy this stop, folks,” bellowed the cheerful Conductor. “We’re going to be here for a while.”

Immediately, I grew impatient.

The passengers marched off until I was the last one remaining. The Conductor approached.

"Son, we're here at the first stop. Get off, stretch your legs. We'll be here for a while...try to enjoy it." Then he walked off.

From this first station, I could see the next one. One stop closer to heaven, I thought.

But not close enough.

Shaking my head in frustration, I knew that waiting around was not an option for me.

After all, I could SEE the next station toward Heaven, and I was just supposed to wait?!

And wait.

And wait.

No way. I knew my mission and I was getting to heaven before these fools; so I decided to walk. I could see the perils ahead—as I'd be walking next to this old track up a ragged, jagged mountain—but it didn’t stop me.

After all, it sure beats waiting around here.

So off I went.

I bounded boulders and climbed through crevices. I scrambled rocks and heaved onward and upward for eons, until I had finally reached the next station.

But then, I couldn't believe my eyes! The train I had left behind ages ago pulled right into the station—mere moments after I had arrived.

Exhausted, I boarded it again and heard the familiar voice, "This is the train to heaven! We’ve got a long stop at this station. Try to enjoy it folks.”

I asked the Conductor, in shock and disappointment, "How long will we be here? Look! Now I can see the third station from this new vantage point!"

The Conductor replied calmly with a gentle palm on my tired shoulder, "This is the train to heaven young man. Try enjoying the ride."

“Enjoy the ride?” I scoffed. “I have a destination to reach, and I know I can make it there—and more quickly than these lazy fools just waiting around here.”

The Conductor sighed with a half smile and walked off.

Then off I went, more determined now than ever.

Up the rocks, around the bend…faster and more feverishly than before...onward and upward…no rest for the weary...Heaven awaits!

On and on I raced, for what seemed like an eternity...but I made it, and this time, no train in sight behind me.

I knew it.

I could win this race.

Eagerness grew and energy surged...and on I went. I passed Station Four and then Five...no time to waste…no time to rest…no time to enjoy the journey, because my goal was clear and I knew I was closer now than ever.

Days, months, and even years passed on, as did station after station after station.

My zest for life waned as my age progressed, this body now older and more exhausted from the struggle. But on and on I went. Head down…no time to talk or even think. No time to see what was at the next station, or the next.

On a mission, I soldiered on.

More years and more stations passed, and I felt my body slowing—older, more frail. How many miles had I walked? How many stations? How many years? How close was that train behind me? Was it gaining on me now?

No matter! I have to be close now…closer to Heaven than those fools on that train...wherever they are now.

But then it happened. My knees buckled. These old legs simply couldn't trudge along like they used to. But I heaved myself up. Then up and up the mountain track I inched—slowly, wearily, and utterly exhausted.

Then the next station was here, and I had no choice now. I had to sit and rest.

For the first time, I had no choice but to just be, just wait, just observe. And then, I noticed something.

For the first time ever, I actually saw the beauty all around. So beautiful...had it always been here?

But it’s not Heaven. Not heaven yet! That's where the real beauty awaits.

So I heaved my aged, worn-out body up and off the bench I had been sitting on. Onward I inched. I was moving slowly, but I knew I'd get there. But that’s when I heard it.

No, I thought in bewilderment...it couldn’t be. But there it was as I turned around. The train to Heaven was pulling into the station.

The Conductor recognized me and said, "Now, will you come aboard? Will you let me take you there?"

I had to...I had no choice. But, of course, we had to wait at this station first.

Well, I thought, for the first time, I really don't mind. It truly is beautiful, and I sure could use the rest.

I was no longer in a rush. I couldn't be in a rush, there was no point. So we waited. And it was the most joyous experience of my life.

But then—and it only seemed like a moment later—I was jolted out of my peace by the Conductor shouting, "All aboard to heaven!"

I couldn't believe it! So soon? And just as I was beginning to have some fun. Well, at least we're on our way, and this time I wasn't walking. So I drifted off to sleep.

The Conductor woke me up with a gentle tap. "It's time," he said.

"We're in Heaven?" I could barely summon the energy to speak.

"End of the line, I'm afraid," he said with care.

"No...it can't be!" I felt cheated, confused. "This was the train to Heaven," I uttered.

"It has been," he shared. "Every stop, every station...has been heaven."

I closed my eyes. This had to be a bad dream...a horrific nightmare. All the effort, the head-down trudging, the misery. Time wasted. Time lost. Time gone...forever.

Consciousness faded into darkness...

But then, I awoke again to a gentle tap. The Conductor?

"Son, we're here at the first stop. Get off, stretch your legs. We'll be here for a while...try to enjoy it."

I looked all around me, then at my own body with shock and amazement.

"You know what?" I said, feeling a zest for life and appreciation deeper than anything I had ever felt. Oh, this wonderful body...this TIME...this ENERGY...this LIFE!

“You know what?” I repeated.

"I think I will…

And not a moment to waste.”

“All aboard to heaven!”
Mike Messeroff
Tamarindo, Costa Rica

~~~

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-Mike

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