Weekly Writing Challenge: Object

As I sit in the study next to me is my husband’s computer table with a collection of memorabilia on top. Of these my favorite is a replica of a cable car we got as a souvenir from our travels to San Francisco back in 2004.

The cable car system in San Francisco is the world’s last manually operated cable car system. We used one of its only remaining three routes, the one to Fisherman’s Wharf. The cable cars are mainly used by tourists now. The cable cars are pulled by a cable running below the street and are operated by something that looks like a clutch. At the end of each line there’s a manual turntable to rotate the car.

What if our life was run like that never straying from the pair of rails provided? We would reach our destination in the shortest time possible. Instead we keep running off in other directions. Some find their way back and others are lost forever.

The turntable represents the end of one journey and passing of knowledge and wisdom to the next traveler who travels much of the same journey but towards a different goal. The rotation at the turntable may be smooth but requires a lot of effort, like our endeavors to teach our children all the necessary knowledge to embark on their journey of life.

Along our journey, as on the cable car, we meet many people, some we embrace and they become an important part of our lives, others we may not care much for. But each person we meet defines us and shapes our character and personality. We may not know it but we carry a part of them with us for all of our lives.

May each of our lives be run with direction and purpose and may our transitions be smooth.

Weekly Writing Challenge: Object