I like taking a long ride, be it on a train or an airplane, mostly because I feel like I have a purpose, a destination to go to, but I'm not obliged to do anything in between one station and another, between the departure gate of an airport to the arrival gate of another airport. I don't really need to do anything but sit back and relax. Probably read a book or write something like I'm doing right now. Yet, it is not a waste of time. It is what it is, something that I have to go through in order to reach my destination. I am finally, temporarily, free.
Life is nothing like a long ride, though. Between one station and another, you are no longer a passenger. You are the conductor, the pilot. You are the one in charge of the train ride. You are the one who flies this airplane up across the horizon of life. There is no such thing as sit back and relax in this ride. There is no such thing as doing whatever to kill some time. This flight is endless, and you are flying it whether you like it or not.
That is why I always believe that the best time to think is when you are several thousand miles away from the ground, or when you are several hours away from disembarking your train car, while you are moving ahead of all the beautiful pieces of earth on your window and the hums of engines, the clink-clanks of the rails in the background. Nothing really bothers to stop you from letting your mind going wild inside, because eventually this moment of peace will end by the time you land or arrive.
Its only rival is the 2 a.m. thoughts that come up to you every other night, but this one is not as enjoyable as it usually leads to a depressing realization or an emotional rollercoaster as an aftermath. At least, these strangers you share your ride with will keep you in check. It is a good thing because otherwise, just like those sleepless nights, your mind will take over completely and consume the life away from your weirdly-shaped vessel called a body.
To some other people, the ride is the most boring part. To me, it is the best one. No dramas, just hours and hours of sitting and eventual walking, munching and thinking, and probably talking a little bit. That's it. It is simple. It is a job that can be done cleanly, very easily, unless anomalies happen and the whole thing becomes an unbearably endless moment of discomfort. Most of the time, however, I really enjoy it.
To be stuck in the moment, comfortably, might be the front door of a dangerous submission to the train or plane of life, though. The moment you start enjoying it, the moment you lose this game versus the neverending ride.
I think I am in the verge of losing, but honestly, I don't even mind.
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