Rocky Myrtle

My journey down this railroad path started 50 years ago. I had no intention of staying. It was just a summer job. A job to put some jingle in my pocket. I was just out of high school, and I knew everything. I hated this new job within the first hour, and that only fueled my knowing this was just a summer fling. A fling that could be cast aside at a moments notice. But, then real life took over and I found myself ten years in. I looked at the future of 28 more years, and I only saw more of the same. But the ten I'd invested pushed me on. Things started to change about this time. I was noticed for more than just the physical labor. I now had a brain for the first time. The drudgery of the job took on a new meaning. What was once a job slowly grew into a passion. Those remaining years now seemed like a race to the finish. It was a finish I wasn't sure I wanted to cross. Looking back at the young kid who knew it all I realized he knew nothing. Here I was at the jumping off point. I had 38 years of knowledge that was passed down to me. It was hard earned knowledge from the men I'd worked for and with. It was knowledge I took that was just now but a memory in my head. I shared these stories with my two kids. They wanted me to put them on paper so they wouldn't be lost in the fog of old age. So, like I started that first day on the railroad, I started a three year journey of memories. Once compiled my kids urged me to try and publish the rambling I'd put to paper. It sat hidden deep in my computer for another three years. I knew there was no interest in some old man's memories. But, they tried a second time telling me about this new E-book thing. So, I put this mixture of memories down for all to share. I'm not a writer, I'm just an old Gandy who made it to retirement and is reliving his past. If any of this sparks one of your own memories the three years were worth the time I spent.