The First One on the Ramp

Some days, I’ll happen to be among the first people off the train, when it arrives at Millennium Station. And among those rare moments, sometimes I’ll be the first person who gets to the ramp that leads from the train platform, up to the main waiting room area.

Today was one of those days, when I was walking and there was no one ahead of me.

During these times I think back to the day, last year, when I was first to reach the top of the ramp… and saw the man, the woman, and the medic.

I thought about the brevity of our lives, and the big questions we ask ourselves: Am I living a good life? Am I making the world a better place? Am I bringing people joy? Do I alleviate suffering?

Those big questions are not really the kind you ever answer. The point of those big questions is to keep asking them, over and over again. More accurately, the point is to remember to ask those questions, over and over again.

That incident last year has really stayed with me, and shaped the hue of my morning commute. I don’t remember that moment every single day, but it does come back – unexpectedly. Usually after I’ve forgotten about it for some while.

Today was one of those days where I remembered. And I thought that you should remember, too.

Related:
Walking Past the Man, the Woman, and the Medic
Memorial for Metra Conductor Wilbert Van Hooten