Why Do You Play Trains?

Yesterday, Saturday the 20th was our public run day at the Southern California Live Steamers in Torrance. This particular run day I was not driving a locomotive but was working at the station loading and unloading the trains, giving the safety speech and selling lemonade and conductor duckies when there were no trains in the station. It is a fun job.

One of the trains came in and this little 4 year old was eying me up and down before he got off the train. He got off the train with his mom and dad and slowly walked up to me looking up from way down there he said, "Are you Santa Claus?" His eyes were wide open when I bent down and put my finger to my mouth and then said in a hushed tone "shhhh don't tell anyone, this is my summer job" his eyes got even bigger! Then I said , "if you are a good boy this year, maybe I will see you at Christmas time." He then promised he would be good and then really smiled, his mom and dad were beaming in the background having heard everything.

Someone once asked me why I wasted my free time playing trains or volunteering at various organizations. Well that is just one of the reasons right there. It may or may not have made his day to talk to Santa, but the smile on his face sure made mine. It is the little things like this that bring back hope and normalcy and the thought that maybe things are OK.

Just some ramblings from someone that obviously needs to shave and to go on a diet. ;-)