There I was, peacefully watching the scenery of the Cascades region of Oregon pass by, when the announcements started.

First I heard, “Will available attendants immediately report to the downstairs of train car #13.”

A few minutes later: “If there’s a doctor on board, please make yourself known to train attendants.”

“We’re looking for anyone with emergency medical training.”

Huh, I wonder what’s happening, I wondered to myself.

After a little while the announcements ended, and soon we were rolling in to Eugene, OR.

“Ladies and gentlemen, emergency personnel will be boarding once we arrive and have requested we keep the doors closed until they’re finished.”

Upon arrival at the station, I saw multiple police cars, an ambulance, and personnel milling about the platform. First I saw a few people make for a car behind mine. Then 2 people emerged from the train to retrieve a gurney and more equipment. No one appeared to be in a rush, so I figured perhaps the person would be taken off the train and to a hospital for more care. When most personnel seemed to be leaving the train with an empty gurney, I didn’t know what to think.

After another 10 minutes of sitting, I overheard an attendant tell a woman a few rows ahead of me that the person’s life had expired. How many times do you hear that while in the midst of a train journey?

Without any prior indication, the Eugene Depot ended up being an eventful place this Tuesday afternoon. I’d connected to a local cafe’s wifi to learn that Michigan football coach Brady Hoke had reached his last stop on that coaching journey. While that change was easier to foresee than someone’s life ending in a train car, you never know when you’ll reach your last stop.

That last stop can be as ultimate as death or as basic as the end of a job or vacation. Some stops along the way can be predicted, some can be expected, and some are guaranteed. As long as you pay attention to each stop and don’t let the mid-points of life pass by, you’re experiencing the journey correctly. Even if the in-betweens feel insignificant or awkward, they’re often as important as the destination.

Some people’s journeys are longer than others, and some shoot off on paths that don’t necessarily appear to be the most beautiful. Sometimes trains have to be diverted, creating new opportunities. Sometimes delays set people back from the original schedule, but one schedule isn’t necessarily the best. There’s time to catch up later, and no path is right for everyone.

I’d planned on being home for Christmas and New Year’s for the first time since 2010. Of course, then wouldn’t it figure that I just had an interview for a job with a start date before Christmas? My family was thinking I’d have weeks at home and actually be present, but now there’s a chance I’ll have an abbreviated visit and take off again before Christmas even hits. Being solo and anxious for fieldwork, I can easily adapt to possible changes. After all, I will make it to my final stop in these ~ 2 months of travel since leaving Fairbanks: “home” in Michigan. As long as I get there and have a chance to see family, that’ll be good enough for me.

Enjoying the variety of stops along the way has been the essence of the journey. Reconnecting with friends in various stages of life has given me a better appreciation of how blessed we all are in our own ways. As 20 somethings, we’ve moved on from the relatively carefree college life and made unique lives of our own.

If I were to say we all started on the same train, we’ve definitely all headed off on our own journeys. It’s easy enough to find each other again, though, as long as we remember our connections.