Another trip around the sun

Tom Caska
Posted 12/28/16

For some reason conductors in Santa hats seemed wrong. It would be nice if they were giving free train passes, but that is never the case. Well, that was last week. Now, as we get closer to ending …

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Another trip around the sun

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For some reason conductors in Santa hats seemed wrong. It would be nice if they were giving free train passes, but that is never the case. Well, that was last week. Now, as we get closer to ending this year’s journey around the sun, we wonder what the new year will bring. Since the disaster in Hoboken a couple months ago, the conductors have all been more friendly than usual. The sad part is, I have been on a few trains that have blown past stations in the darkness of the morning commute, only to have to back up the train into the station; this is not new. What was new was the engineer having a blackout entering the terminal of the final destination of Hoboken Station—although, given how many lights and signals there are as you enter the Hoboken station, it is hard to understand how he could black out here.

Commuters are resilient; through thick and thin they carry on. Early in November after the accident, when the schedules were back to “normal,” you could feel the tension begin to subside. So much so that people were asking about the conductors. How they were doing and how they were holding up. There is no doubt it was a tragic day. A young woman, Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, was killed andmany people injured. It appears there was no intentional malice in the engineer’s work performance that day, though definitely poor judgment on his part for not being checked for sleep apnea, which seemed to be the reason he blacked out. It still doesn’t make the end result any better, and we can’t lose sight of the reality. The new year will be very sad for many families especially those on the train that day, specifically for the family and friends of Ms. De Karoon.

Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa will all be celebrated this week along with the peace the season brings. There is also a sense of peace on the train; everyone seems to agree they will be glad to say good-bye to 2016. Together we have been through a lot this year both on and off the train; it is nice to see a smile in the passengers eyes again. The year 2016 has not been all gloom and doom, one just needs to turn off the news and concentrate on what matters, our friends and family.

Personally, we welcomed a new granddaughter in June, Julie Maye. Her laughter is contagious, her smile as bright as her red hair. Her two-year-old brother Jeremy is very protective of her. In March, we rescued a puppy, Pearl. She is a lab mix and perfect company for Toby, our six-year-old Corgi. An electric fence has given us peace of mind to let the pups have run of the property. 

In Seattle, our daughter and her husband also have a new puppy, a chocolate lab named Brownie. Many conversations revolve around how to handle to latest disasters caused by our puppies on different shores. Our friends and families are also doing well—more peace to the soul. This year has had some very bright moments indeed.

Together we all start another trip around the sun. 2017 is getting off on the right foot, as we are past the longest day of the year. Each day brings another few more minutes of daylight. The saying is, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” but on the railroad it could be just another train. Keep your chin up and best wishes for a wonderful 2017.

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