The backwards riding people

Now that we have moved to our new home in Edmonds, I get to ride the commuter train to work from Edmonds Station. First, let me say, it's pretty much the best commute I've ever had. The station is five minutes away from my house. The train runs almost entirely along the water so the view is fantastic and it drops me right next to where I work.

I only have one complaint: By the time the train gets to Edmonds, all of the people from Everett have snagged the seats that face forward near the windows. Almost everyone who gets on in Edmonds has to sit on the aisle seats facing backwards. One of my co-workers who has been commuting this way since the train started running referred to us as "the backwards riding people."

Perhaps this is how cults are started. I could start going door to door wearing a short sleeved white shirt with a skinny black tie. "Hi, my name is Tim and I am a backwards riding person. I'm here to spread the word that backwards is where its at...or at least was." I suppose I'd have to ride my bicycle backwards and strap my backpack on my chest to create the total effect (kind of like Kriss Kross). But then it would be a frontpack which is too much like a fanny pack which I can't stand because they make you look like you are wearing a codpiece.

But I digress.

Traveling the caboose of life seems to go against everything we've been taught to believe about life. I mean, the sun is supposed to come out tomorrow, not yesterday. But yesterday all of my troubles seemed so far away. So I suppose being a backwards traveling person does have a positive aspect to it.

I also suppose that you can be a leader while facing backwards. When I was a drum major in high school we used to march backwards so we could face the band while directing music. So I guess I have a history of traveling backward to the future.

This is not to say that I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to sit in a seat facing forward and stare in distain at the people traveling forward while facing backwards. I guess then I would feel a bit superior, too. But in the meantime, I guess I'm destined to be content with seeing where I've been and trusting that I'll end up (pun intended) where I'm going.