As I sat in traffic with lights flashing and horns blowing, I caught a glimpse of this old black train climbing up towards the town. For a moment it brought me back to happier times when I was growing up in a little coal mining town along with my two brothers and five sisters.

People were more laid back and relaxed then. Everyone had jobs getting that black gold from the coal mines. Education was put on the back burner. As soon as the boys were old enough, they would rush to get jobs in the mines, and the girls were soon married off to raise families of their own. If a problem came up, everyone would pull together as one, and they would conquer anything that laid in their path.

I was suddenly brought back to reality with a couple of loud toots from this old black train that raced across the tracks in front of me. I knew I was back to the hustle and bustle of today – everyone rushing and darting past each other getting through their everyday way of living.

It made me wonder, “What happened to making time for a friend” and “Where is that shoulder to lean on today?” No one takes time to smell the roses. Everything is rush, rush, rush.