One minute she was sitting behind a steering wheel, madly in love with her boyfriend – planning a future rich with a huge wedding, three children, house warming parties and trips to Panama City Beach. And then, one second later, she was gone.

Tim went to work the swing shift at the video store to support his son. “Life isn’t easy for a single dad,” he would tell me. But he made sacrifices. He and his coworkers laughed, talked about girls and their plans for the weekend. And then, a man came in with a gun, blindfolded them and took them in the back. Tim was gone.

Eric seemed like your average teenager – he would ride his skateboard and listen to his favorite bands. But he hid something – something none of us will ever be able to help him with. Because one afternoon he decided he didn’t want to be here anymore …and just like that…he was gone.

Life is so precious. Every minute we have is a gift. A time to treasure friends, family, sunsets and sunrises – to have that feeling you get when you hold your newborn child for the first time, or to feel the sweet satisfaction of achieving your goals and seeing your dreams become realities. To experience that numbness you get from a first kiss, or the joy of finding a long, lost love.

I want to love and laugh and live life to it’s fullest. I want to dream and achieve. I want all of you to come with me – to be by my side and see the beauty too. I don’t want to die with regrets – with what should have been. I beg you to enjoy your life and the time you have – it’s the most precious gift you have ever been given. Find the beauty in whatever it is you do. If you are unhappy – change. Don’t lose yourself. Cry, laugh, love, think, become a piece of that beauty in the world every single day. Don’t survive – live – for this moment, this very second and know that each and everyone of you are pieces in the mosaic of beauty I see everyday.

No sir, I absolutely did not just flip you off.

It’s a piece of true American nostalgia, riding the railroad all across America –seeing the other sides of towns. 70 miles per hour of blurring trees, countryside – a whiz of the blues, greens, browns, oranges and reds that make an Alabama fall. It’s breathtaking. But then again, so are some of people on this train. Not to mention it’s a balmy 85 degrees or so on in here.

One of the beauties of riding public transportation is getting to ride with your fellow citizens. Meeting the people that make up this unique and diverse country – and a diverse group of folks they are. Italians, Mexicans, Asians – there might be more diversity in this one train car than there is in the whole of the state of Alabama.

It makes me feel so homogenized. I long for the days when I traveled the world – meeting new people, experiencing things for the first time. Finding the differences and unique similarities between all of us – like the fact foreign food gives everyone the runs. In case you have ever considered it here is some advice: never give a Moroccan a bowl of your best recipe chili – something in it doesn’t agree with them.

This just makes me think of a simpler time in the World. A time my grandparents lived in – a time when people talked, showed each other respect – a world that was slower, safer and slightly more moral. A time when people knew their neighbors – where children built forts in the woods,played pickup games of baseball and rode their bikes around together without having to worry about being snatched up. The world today – it can be so mind-blowing. So many of the things we read about are just incomprehensible – the crimes, the wars, the corruption, the economy. It’s enough to make you want to douse yourself in some overpriced Diesel and send yourself up in flames.

But here I am – living and riding just like my long-gone relatives did. My grandfather rode a train from Fairbanks, Alaska to Akron, Alabama just to get off and propose to my grandmother. She said yes and he hopped right back on the train to Alaska. I guess the Army didn’t allow much furlough for proposals. I always found that to in be an amazing story. He knew what he wanted and did whatever it took to get it. If it wasn’t for the train, I guess I wouldn’t be here.

Traveling the scenic routes of Alabama and Georgia – with a little country music playing and a pretty cool traveling companion next to me – is fantastic. Darius Rucker’s new album is the perfect soundtrack for my trip. It’s got my mind right where it needs to be – focusing on the beauty of life and love and friendships. I have been a little juvenile at moments. My new friend and I have been watching the annoyed people at railroad crossings and flipping them off because, after all, they can never catch up with us. Take that air travel. Plus its cheaper than a tank of gas.

If I accidentally flip you off, accept my apologies. It’s all in good fun. Seriously, this is something you should try if you’ve never done it before. I can’t speak for the food – but I’m pretty sure Paula Dean’s not back there. Now if we could just get some air conditioning and some deoderizer this would be the perfect experience.