Changing trains

A couple of months ago I changed jobs. I am not a fan of change, although this particular change was not a bad one, so my outlook on the situation was somewhat mixed. In the fortnight’s gap between one contract ending and another beginning, I took advantage of the free time to make a few visits by train. On one of these journeys, waiting on a dull platform for a connecting train, I realised I was enacting a kind of microcosm of my general life situation, which in turn led me to some comforting conclusions.
 
Change is ok. It happens, and it doesn’t mean something has gone wrong. Sometimes there’s a wait involved, and sometimes a bit of uncertainty. Sometimes things don’t go quite the way you expect. But change can often mean progress. When you leave one train to board another, you intend to continue your journey onwards. You’ve got a final destination, but the train you were on wasn’t going to get you there.
 
One of my favourite fictional characters uses the train metaphor as an illustration of choice. Towards the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry is facing the challenge of returning to a difficult and dangerous situation (with a heroic motive, obviously). Dumbledore says to Harry (who believes their surreal surroundings are in fact King’s Cross station),
 
“I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to ... let’s say ... board a train.”
“And where would it take me?”
“On,” said Dumbledore simply.

I shall now endeavour to see changes in my life in this simple way. Don’t fear changes, enjoy a few minutes in the waiting room, and be a braver traveller, knowing that each change is taking you onwards.