I am feeling a little philosophical today. What brought that on? Driving out of Southside Bethlehem, this morning, and onto the Hill to Hill Bridge, I saw the former headquarters of LV Railroad. At one time, LV Railroad was a thriving business serving the very industrial Lehigh Valley. That got me thinking about one of my strongest beliefs, that affects how I live my life, that everything single thing has a lifespan. Along with that, during that lifespan, there is a peak. A day, an hour, a minute where everything is close to perfect, followed by a decline.
Maybe for LV Railroad it was 1940? Who knows? But there was a high point of that business. My hometown of Slatington also had a peak. Maybe it was around 1915 when slate was king. The coal region towns were all, at one time, thriving. That is no longer the case. How about Sears? Remember Allentown being named an All American City?
I think this applies to our lives as well. Bruce Springsteen, in the song Glory Days, tells that story. The character in the song had his peak in high school. That may be true for some of us. For others, it is when their career hits its summit. Others still, look at their peak as when all their children were still at home. It is different for everyone, depending on values and experiences.
When I talk about decline after the peak, I don’t mean that has to be negative. We can lead wonderful, fulfilling lives after our peak. I am only saying that I believe there is one day, one hour, one second where you are on top of the world.
Thanks for letting me get that little philosophical rant out of the way. I’m not sure when the peak of my life was. I know it is in my past and that is okay. My life is pretty wonderful and fulfilling now. Maybe I got you thinking. Maybe you disagree. I would love to hear your thoughts.
As far as LV Railroad goes. We can enjoy some of their remains by walking on the Lehigh Valley’s many Rails to Trails. A legacy! Get out there and enjoy this Spring! I hear it is just around the corner!
A Semi-retired Kind of Life 