On Tuesday night, the unthinkable happened: an Amtrak train on its way to New York rounded a curve going at over 100 miles an hour, and derailed. Over 240 injured, eight dead.
It's been difficult to focus on my work today. I've been on that train to New York many times in the past.
And now the stories are beginning to surface: the dead, who they were in life, the good that they did for the world. It is all the more devastating because I am sure this disaster could have been prevented.
Every human being has their own story. At work every day I look out my window, and as people pass by, I wonder what their story is. I will probably never know. And on Tuesday night, the story ended for eight people.
If there is any good that can come out of this, it is the acts of heroism displayed by not only the emergency personnel, but the neighbors, who were also among the first to rush to the scene and offer aid. These are wonderful stories to hear.
One of the things that attracted me to bootblacking was the emphasis on Leather history, on stories. Bootblacks are often called the bartenders of the Leather world, because we listen to your stories while you sit in our chairs.
In my very few years of public bootblacking, I have heard so many great stories. Confessions, even. I treasure every story I am given. Because it really is a gift, when someone opens up to you in that way.
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