Is it an understatement to say that sometimes things don’t turn out the way that we expect? Sometimes? Ha!
Despite all our planning and scheming, we really don’t have as much control over life as we think we do.
But, I’m discovering that oftentimes, it’s just better that way.
Case in point: our vacation home this summer. We had a budget. I worked hard to find a house that would suit our family but not break the bank. Of course, it didn’t help that I began my search in May and several things were already booked. (This is the point in the story where my husband would roll his eyes.) It was a little tricky, but I finally found something that seemed to be a good fit.
The only drawback: it was right next to an active train track. I mean, RIGHT NEXT to the tracks. Literally. (Which is probably why a nicer house was still available at that point in the season. Hello, Shannon!)
The fine print assured me that the train only ran at 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Well, that’s good when you consider safety for the family. But, a little less than ideal for sleeping…on vacation…where rest is a big part of the plan.
Deposit had been made. Too late to find something else. So, I held my breath and just hoped that it would be manageable.
Can I just tell you that the train track actually became a great family memory? Our trick: pennies on the track! A few evenings that week, we snuck out late at night and placed our pennies along the track. Sort of a pre-tuck-in routine. Next morning, still in pjs, the kids would rush out to find their flattened treasures.
Somewhere else in Grand Haven, someone else was sleeping-in in a nicer house in a better location (probably closer to the beach) that they had probably secured earlier in the year. Meanwhile the pj-clad McKees were dancing in the morning light, finding freshly flattened pennies, and saving them as treasures from our time together.
Maybe it’s just better when things don’t turn out as we expect. When our plans get foiled and we’re forced to take “second-best”. Just maybe.
And, do you know that with the air conditioning running, we never even heard or felt that train rush by anyway…
You are so wonderful. I love your stories and how you add the pictures to go with the stories. Thank you so much for adding to my day. Your emails come in my email inbox, and I take time to read every one. This one was especially good.
Shannon:
Great story! I have lived near train tracks all of my life. At every house and/or apartment since I was a little kid.This occurred to me when Steve and I lived in Pittsburgh, for a bit, early in our marriage. One of the biggest things I missed from home was the distant sound of a train (or not so distant depending upon which home!). I feel comforted by them. I’m glad you now have a warm story for your heart about trains too!