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Room With A View

For more than two decades, I have had the same view.  When I was in elementary school, my parents bought a house.  From my bedroom window, I could see the end of the street.  Just beyond that, I could see train tracks … where freight trains passed, chugging down the tracks at all hours of the day and night.  No matter how loud the whistles were, they rarely bothered me.  The sound of train whistles became as common as car horns on neighboring streets.

When I moved to an intown apartment, my bedroom had a large window.  From that window, I could see the end of the street.  Again, just beyond that, I could see train tracks, where other freight trains passed at all hours.

I have just moved to another apartment.  This apartment also has a large window that looks out … onto a courtyard.  There are no train tracks.  No whistles can be heard.  For the first time in almost thirty years, I will not live near train tracks.

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