December 30th, 2014. I was on the Amtrak - Midwest-departing, Rochester-bound.
What a diverse community aboard! Conversations with neighbors on this 12-hour, overnight train trip took me into Bogotá, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Chinese Medicine, same-sex matrimony and US politics, and through the spirit-liberating streets & culture of New York City.
At one point during our train-track travels, I went to the café car to make a birthday-related phone call to a friend. I sat down in an open booth, dialed his number, and serenaded his voice mailbox with “Happy Birthday”. A middle-aged Venezuelan man overheard me and excitedly sought me out- introducing me to his also-birthday-celebrating partner. I felt compelled to offer a Birthday serenade to him as well, and then joined them in their dark-blue booth as they drank wine and munched on "birthday" candy gifted by the train stewards. Between the three of us many stories were shared, questions raised, and personal insights gained.
Eventually, sleepiness set into our stories and we parted ways. That night in my assigned seat I slept well, infused and enlivened by all the culture, life and possibility snuggled into the seats around me.
Experiences like this remind me why I love travelling this way. ~*
