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Another year drawing to a close, and, as always happens at this season, I find myself looking back over the prior twelve months and wondering about what happened.
It has certainly been a turbulent year. For the first time in a long while, we are considerably less well-off today than we were a year ago in terms of household wealth. Considerably. It's sobering that so much assumed worth can evaporate so swiftly. For despite history's lesson that is it foolish to assume anything will continue without interruption or outright reversal, I certainly fell into a sense of complacency about the course of the economy.
Yet nothing has really changed in our day to day living. We still spend about the same, eat the same way do the same things. Admittedly, we have always been more restrained than extravagent and maybe that helps.
We did fit in a fabulous trip to England and Scotland that occupied one wholly delightful month; a precious time indeed. Add to that an equally delightful short vacation on the Mississippi earlier in the year, and I cannot really think of any better year for vacations ever.
Then, there was the great excitement of the U.S. Presidential Election that lasted all year and kept a political junkie like me glued to the internet. Indeed, with the financial storms to involve me as well, this has been a wonderful year for news. That's good too.
There have been no domestic disasters or even upsets. Something I might gloss over as hardly worth saying, but it really is. They may come, but seem unlikely. A stable and loving family is a lot to be thankful for.
No, the most I rue is the paper loss of much of our money. A bit pointless because it is not needed for a very long time, but I am a bean counter and I like more beans.
Finally, a word about this photograph. I took it in Canada in 2007. It's one of my favorites of all time. A golden rail stretching into the wilderness. Yes, this is disused railway track, but the beauty of that rail is the promise of renewal. One day a train may yet again roll down it. That's really how I look at my life, with its various interests and events. Always there's a sense that I may roll again down a long disused track as well as new ones, and that expectation extends well beyond this life.
I agreed with you Sir Richard, "a stable and loving family is a lot to be thankful for" – family are priceless. There may be recession and economy downturn but our beloved family remains.The pix as usual perfect & beautiful. A disused railway track… kinda abandoned and full of mistery…
Your reflections are spot on – I look back at the change in the past 12 months in wonder.The image is great. I love railroads, and their decay, while wholly disheartening, is still beautiful.
Nicely balanced reflections. Good read.As for the photo – that warm and dusty sunlight really soothes my soul. I can understand why it's a favorite of yours.
The image of the mysterious golden rail combined with your straightforward thoughts make for a very nice blog post.I, too, would like more beans or, at least, get them back.
Happy New Year, Richard!Good post.:smile:
Thank you all for your comments. :)Yes, it's the golden warmth of that photograph that really appeals to me. I took it on a very hot summer day in northern Ontario. As the summer season is so short there, every growing thing was bursting with life. I could almost touch the vitality.
Train rails always gave me an extra thought..I remember travelling with Michael and thinking " we are like two rails travelling along each other,"and then when one of the two rails was gone and I thought my life will come to a derailment…To my surprise I realized that the train did continue and did life did go on…when we say couples are like two rails we should say two sets of them.."That's really how I look at my life, with its various interests and events" very true Richard that's how it is for many of us..we are in our path in this life and I hope we all realize that if we meet at a cross rail line we have to share the best we have and give the most love we have to offer.Life in a single rail truck can be lonesome at times but still possible if the "golden warmth" comes from within…I love you Richard,thank you for the amazing reads you gave us in 2008!I wish you and to your family a heathy and productive 2009 :heart:
Dear RichardLeggere il tuo “Reflection” me ha stimulato di agroundire il mio cerchio di conoscenza del tuo crattere,attraverso tutto il materiale, che hai esposto sia in Blog che nei tuoi Albums.Evidentemente non ho visto la grande parte archiviato in “Archive”. Now I think to know why “Richard is really happy”, perche e’ una persona semplice che ama la vita, e’ estroversa molto positivamente e molto piu importante e’ che non brontola come magior parte dei intelletuali!I’m sorry if I can’t write in English as Italian, I have knowledge of Alton Bridge via books or architecture magazines but never, I blogged with somebody telling: “It was a warm day today, about 63 F or so, and I spent the afternoon driving the river road by Alton, Illinois.” Saturday, 27. December 2008”.Thanks for your very nice photo, specially for your tow chairs always the same place in garden, in “It's a “cold Saturday morning.” As, “First snow, in Tuesday, 2. December 2008” questa ripetizione e’ il segno della continuita della VITA, and the sign of presence of two persons always together!Happy New year to you and your family.:wine: dariusch
Thank you, Angeliki and Dariusch for those beautiful comments. (No, I don't read Italian that well, but know enough Latin based language to get most of your meaning, Dariusch.)Angeliki, you are brave and resolute to have carried on your one rail as you have. I admire you greatly. A Very Happy New Year to you both, and to all my friends here!:)
Richard, I hope you get to all the places you want before you get to the Final Station.