Recent circumstances and my health issues have given me cause to pause and reflect on my life, who I have become, and to “weed the garden” of me, so to speak. During this introspective endeavor I have learned a lot about myself and the choices I have made throughout the years. Like everyone, I suspect, not all of the choices were the right ones. There was the time… Oh, never mind, water under the bridge.
There is one choice I am extremely grateful for having an opportunity to pursue. That choice was following my heart. Of course I am referring to Deb and I. If you will indulge me, I would like to share our story and some of my feelings about “us.”
The Story of Us
Believe it or not, we are soul mates and have been since the very beginning. (EDITOR: Guys you can tune out a bit and just look at the cool train parts of the photos.) Just like the sappy love songs that you hear on the radio, we actually locked eyes and both of us had an experience where everything else faded away and I could see our life together play out in my mind at hyper speed. It was truly love at first sight. Ask anyone who was there, they’ll tell you it is true. That was in August of 1993.
Now depending on which view of attraction you subscribe to, some might say “RUN AWAY!” Well, I was too intrigued and moved to do that, not that I haven’t tried over the years! It took sometime for us to get our opportunity to be together but we were bonded together from the onset. The unveiling of ourselves and the melding of our lives to one has been an amazing journey. With her I feel totally comfortable to be me. Heck, our first date included a trip to the local Egghead Software store!
As our relationship grew, we began to take road trips everywhere. Any free moments we spent traveling and exploring all that our renewed sense of life afforded us. At some point Deb asked what I liked and I replied “Truthfully? Trains.” She quietly chuckled. Eventually, maybe a year later, she told me the truth about what she thought when she asked me that question. She thought I was making a joke. She grew to learn otherwise. Subsequently Deb is the only other person that has shared an aspect of the draw of the rails for me. One day she said, “You know what I like about railroading? The Symmetry.”
If you have read of some my railfan trip reports you know that Deb accompanies me more often than not. In the years that we have been together, I have been extremely fortunate to have her share the best railroading experiences that the west has to offer from the Columbia River Gorge, Washington to Promontory, Utah to chasing the UP Monster Train. I am grateful for the fact that she enjoys vacationing where the rails are as well. We spent our first anniversary in Sacramento, California visiting the California State Railroad Museum. Her favorite trip to date was when we went to the La Posada Hotel, Winslow, Arizona in 2006.
None of this is why I love her so. Instead the aforementioned items serve to further illustrate the fact we are meant to be, and I know how lucky I am to have discovered her. (I am also grateful that I am such a gorgeous and intriguing man that I have kept her infatuated all of these years – but that is a different post!)
The reason why I love her is because she is the most caring, funny, and loving person I have ever met. She carries me when I am too weak, bolsters me when I am weary, and strengthens me always.
To My Dearest Deb,
Despite what life has in store for me, I worry not. For I have truly lived – and I want to thank you for coming into, and more importantly, staying in my life despite my many shortcomings.
I hope we can share many more years chasing steel and growing old(er) together.
I love you, now and forever.
Love, Me.