The sound of the freeway

[gurdonark]

I take my comfort where I can find it. Sometimes it's nothing more than the sound of cars rolling by on the freeway outside my hotel window. When I was a kid, we lived near the railroad tracks. I used to awake in the middle of the morning, to watch the passenger trains speed by. The track near the house where I grew up is now dormant, the railroad having pulled out a few years back. I hear cars speeding by, though, and that's a comforting sound, too. It's comforting because it's familiar. I look out my window, and cars are speeding into work. I've a short drive to my meeting today. I won't contribute to that freeway hum. But I do look at all the people going to all those disparate jobs and lives, and ponder, and reach no conclusions.

Comments

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

I think the sound of trains(especially) is so nostalgic and comforting. You just don't hear/see as many trains as there used to be. I lived right next to a RR track for about 4 years as a little kid-- it wasn't a really active track--we didn't have trains running through at all hours but now and then you'd see one and it was always a big thrill. I especially remember being greatly tickled to see the putt-putt car go by with the two RR men see-sawing the pump handle up and down. It seems like a great big toy riding down the track. (I'm sure it was a lot harder work than it looked)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I used to love those putt putt cars on the tracks, too, and the sight of an old handcar, rarely seen now, really excited me.