\u201cI\u2019m glad you sat where you did. I thought all the seat faced backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the end of my glorious trip to Denver and I had just boarded the train to get to the airport. The friend who had dropped me off told me the line ended at the airport so I could right it to the end and not have to transfer.<\/p>\n
When I stepped up into train I saw all the seats facing me. Would I have to ride the whole way backwards?<\/p>\n
Then I saw a guy towards the front of the car sit down facing forward. Ah ha! The seats on that end of the car faced forward. I made my way up there and sat in the row in front of that guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so glad you sat down! I wouldn\u2019t have noticed the seat faced forward,\u201d<\/p>\n
It took him a moment to understand what I meant. \u201cI\u2019ve never ridden this train before.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I filled him in with the knowledge my friend had given me. One straight shot all the way to the end.<\/p>\n
But when we compared tickets, we saw a problem.<\/p>\n
He had a ticket that was only good for local routes. I had a ticket that went all the way to the airport. His was 6 dollars and mine was 10.<\/p>\n
Hm. He had acted in good faith. But the ticket wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n
I had just met him, but I could see the situation and the ramifications clearly.<\/p>\n
He could step off and get the right ticket. Or he could stay put.<\/p>\n
What were the consequences?<\/p>\n
This is exactly the sort of conundrum life presents us so often.<\/p>\n
You gotta ask yourself:<\/p>\n
Do you feel lucky?<\/p>\n
What was at risk? What did he stand to gain or lose?<\/p>\n
There are a few things that are certain. There are a lot more that aren\u2019t. And even the things that are certain might not be. Almost every choice is a risk.<\/p>\n
So much is life is doing your best, taking your chances and seeing how it works out.<\/p>\n
I knew that the train came every 15 minutes, so his risk in this case if he got caught was small. He had enough time to get off, and fix it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s great if life leaves you a margin. But even without a margin, the risks still have to be taken.<\/p>\n
I know I\u2019ll be lucky some of the time. And when I\u2019m not, I\u2019ll just have to try again.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the way I want to live. I guess I do feel lucky. Or at least I want to be lucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI\u2019m glad you sat where you did. I thought all the seat faced backwards.\u201d It was the end of my glorious trip to Denver and I had just boarded the train to get to the airport. The friend who had … Continue reading