The Station
Wednesday, June 27th, 2007Sometimes I get so focused on deadlines, staring at my computer screen, that I forget to look at the world beyond my office. I have a worn, yellowed newspaper clipping tacked to the bulletin board over my desk. I can’t remember how long it’s been there, but every now and then it catches my attention and pulls me back into today. The clip is a copy of The Station, a parable written by Robert J. Hastings. It reminds me that life is a journey; that each day is a destination unto itself; and if I miss a day - or just don’t pay attention - I may end up missing the most memorable stop along the way.
My brother’s partner, Lenny Lydon, has one of the most demanding jobs I can imagine. A Delta Air Lines manager, he is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At family gatherings, I’ve seen him field half a dozen calls in a single (weekend) afternoon. Somehow he manages to balance it all - usually with a smile on his face and a joke at the ready.
As I write this, Lenny is in Ghana where he is one of 40 Delta Air Lines employees who have volunteered vacation time to build homes for Habitat for Humanity. My brother, Ed, sent an email yesterday after talking to Lenny.
“He is so enthusiastic and exhilarated to be where he is at. The flight was 12 hours from JFK to the host city of Accra in southeast Ghana. The accommodations are good; about an hour from the work site which is very remote with no electricity or running water.
He said he was mortaring and building a wall of the house. Yesterday morning they met with the chief of the village in which they are working. The evenings are filled with local cultural events including a native dance and choral show … One of the homes they are focused on will be completed and they will be there to meet the family when they move in.”
Ed’s note about Lenny’s experience reminded me that no matter how busy I may be or what deadline is looming, I should be “enthusiatic and exhilarated” about where I’m at every single day.
-Lisa Matte, Editor-in-Chief, Global Traveler
