About 20 years ago I jumped from a moving train. It was just pulling out of the station, and going quite slowly, or so I thought. Five minutes earlier I had made the terrible realization that I had boarded the wrong train, and I panicked. I ran to the open doorway, and quickly stepped off of the ledge. I was wrong about the train’s speed. It was going faster than I anticipated, and I fell hard. Then I proceeded to roll down the pavement, passing other commuters waiting to board their own trains. No one came to my rescue. They all just watched me roll on by like tumbleweed in the desert. When I finally came to a stop I got myself up, and headed for the bathroom, as if that were my plan all along. I tried to hide the pain I felt in my right hip by appearing to walk normally. I then boarded the correct train, and pretended to read my book all the way home.
I’ve told this story to a lot of people since then. I love telling this story. I love that I can say, “I jumped from a moving train once!”. I love that I rolled past people’s feet. I even love that no one helped me. It’s funnier that way.
And that’s my New Year’s resolution. To live a little more outside of my comfort zone. I don’t intend to put myself in danger, and I don’t suggest you do either, but I do want to do the things I don’t normally do. After all, that’s where you’ll find the good stories. Let’s make sugar buns.
