Waving like they really mean it

I rode the train from Simi Valley to Solana Beach and back today to visit my friend Renee in Encinitas. I have taken the train a couple of times before and like it because the traffic heading south can be brutal – especially on a Friday – and I like having time to do things like work, talk on the phone…and look out the window.

If you haven’t taken the time or had the opportunity to ride the train in a while, I strongly encourage you to give it a shot the next time you are going to San Diego or Santa Barbara. I will admit that the connection through Los Angeles at Union Station feels like it slows things down a bit, but it is still a pretty reasonable deal and I am confident that with the price of gas these days, it is actually less expensive to ride the train versus drive a car. Check out how much a train ride will cost you through Amtrak using their convenient little trip finder.

Back to staring out the window. The scenery starts to get really good going south by San Juan Capistrano, as the beach comes into view and (if you sit on the correct side of the train facing forward), the view is pretty spectacular. Today was a gorgeous day in Southern California – the kind of day that makes visitors want to stay year round. As I watched the different beach towns and surfer spots whiz by, I started to notice that people on the ground like to wave at trains A LOT and they all wave like they really mean it…the full hip/body sway with arm high overhead to make sure we see that they are waving to us.

Once I realized this phenomenon, I was fascinated and began to look at the people waving in each area we passed. There did not seem to be any particular age/gender/race bias in my unofficial study – it just appears that people really like to wave at trains. I then started to speculate on why there is this love of the wave – possible loved ones they are thinking about or longing for; the lure and romance of traveling by rail; excitement and adventures not yet experienced…I suppose that these are all viable reasons, specific to each individual.

One thing is for certain, having all of these different people wave to me (or so I like to imagine) makes me far more cognizant of how we move about in our society sometimes unseen. I may not turn into the most attentive and present person overnight, but you can be certain of one thing…from here on out every time I see a train I am going to wave…and wave like I really mean it!!