This one time, on the train ...

“The sun never sets here. I can’t sleep.”

“It is too hot here. Do you have air conditioning?”

In the middle of nowhere, “Why won’t my cell phone work?”

“Where is Mt. McKinley? Where are the animals?”

So many life lessons, I learned while working on the train. Well, not really, but I did work hard and learn a lot. I learned if people are grumps in their daily life, they are going to be grumpy on vacation. There were many times I walked up to chat with passengers on the train, only to walk away with an earful of complaints.

"My tour guide told me I would see a lot of animals. Where are the animals?" a passenger inquired.

"Keep looking out the window. They are out there. Unfortunately, a massive train doesn't sneak up on animals very easily. If you see something, let me know." I responded, while slowly making my way towards a more jovial passenger.

I learned to be polite and respectful, while reminding myself not to take their grumpiness personally. I can't change their outlook on life. It took awhile to figure out the nature of people. What I learned during the summer of 1998 and 1999, still applies today.

“Some people are like thorns. But you have to let them be thorns, because thorns can't turn into petals. The trick is not letting them prick you; never let a thorn prick you!”  -C. JoyBell C.

Life requires good navigational skills. Stay away from the thorns and seek out the beauty of the petals.