tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. we see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. we are travelling by train. out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving on a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

but the uppermost in our minds is the final destination. on a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. bands will be playing and flags waving. once we reach there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will be fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. how restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes loitering, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"when we reach the station, that will be it", we cry.