Life Propels Us All

Donna's right, I guess. Maybe everyone gets a push now and then. Some are embittered by it. Others pay no heed at all and continue in the same tight circle, destined to repeat mistakes until some horrible misfortune finally wakes them.

I heard some more disturbing news at work this morning. Two men I know well have recently been fired. They began their careers at CN about the same time I did, in the late 1970's. Mike and Gord. Gord was among the first men I knew on the railway, and Mike and I trained together to be locomotive engineers. It was Mike who sold me the house I now live in. A few years ago, they left CN to work for VIA Rail, Canada's national passenger train service.


VIA Rail. A familiar sight to most Canadians.

Good men, Ms J, who made a mistake. VIA Rail, it seems, are as hard-hearted as CN nowadays.

Last night I got a phone call from another friend. She told me she and her husband are suffering severe marital discord and asked if I'd be open to taking in a lodger. She'll remain in the matrimonial home, Ms Journal. She meant her husband.

"Just for a month, Dale. Please. He really has no place to go. He could stay at his mum's but it's two hours away. Too far to drive twice a day to work. He doesn't have many friends and he needs one now."

I called him and we chatted a bit. I'll have a room mate next Monday. For a month.

As I walked home from work this morning, I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Nick. Heart-sick Nick.

"How ya doing, old man?" I asked. "I'm going to make some breakfast. Care to join me?"

Nick declined my offer saying he was really knackered.

"Thanks, but I'm going straight home. I didn't get much sleep last night. I couldn't seem to calm myself. Too much thinking, I guess, about ... well, you know what it's like. I went for a bike ride and that didn't help. I tried reading for a while, but I couldn't follow the story. Sucks to be me right now."

And we shared an awkward laugh.

Changes, Ms Journal. Major Life changes lie ahead for all these men. Gord and Mike may be forced to find a new career. My married friends will spend a month apart to try to gain some understanding of the issues that affect their sacred partnership. Will they proceed together or separately? Only God knows. And poor ol' Nick. He's lost his wife, his home and kids, and shortly, his driver's licence. As a result, he may lose his job as well.

Yes, Life propels us all. Thanks, Donna. The fortunate ones are those who are open to a whispered suggestion or a gentle nudge. Some, like Nick I'm afraid, require a ruthless beating.

***