The day the Coal Trains of Seattle intersected with Yoga?

I headed out one day late last summer to take care of  a few errands downtown.. As I turned a corner into downtown near SODO heading west I was stopped at an intersection by a train. I waited patiently as most trains in the city usually pass by pretty fast.

I turned up the jazz station kplu.org and relaxed for a few moments. It was a hot day in the city late last summer. Once the errands were complete I was heading to a compassiongames.org event. This train is taking a long time to cross in front of me. Along come the lead engine, and then a second engine, then I think I saw a third engine, wow this train is hauling something heavy. But it is probably just a line of cars, tucked inside those metal boxes with just enough small holes to see an outline of what’s inside. It is not a Sounder commuter train that’s for sure. So, waiting turns into anticipating. While the music is mellow it is quickly drowned out by the intensity of the train whistle today it seems louder than usual to me. Perhaps it is because sometimes when I am stopped at a train track I am drawn more into the music and it is usually not so hot, there is no AC in my car. Wow, here is comes the first car of the train with the contents clearly exposed. It is a car full of coal. And then another and another and another, I think I lost count, though not really counting, but I am sure there was more than twenty cars going by in a very short amount of time. After the first ten cars I am I still feel relaxed. But then I remember there was some news about the coal trains that would pass through downtown Seattle. And as I recall the news was not glowing. As the train cars are not covered this means lots of potential for coal dust to shake loose into the air as they pass the hundreds of miles from origin to destination. Well after allowing myself to think it over a few more minutes I realize that coal dust in the air all around us is not a great thing. Then I wonder who authorized these trains to pass into downtown uncovered. Do the city officials know about this? I thought Seattle was a compassionate city. Shouldn't compassion include the environment and concern for our health? Or am I just reaching too much for an answer to the original question, “why is a line of 20-30 train cars filled to the brim with coal passing in front of me now, in the height of the mid-day rush. People are out for lunch, errands or heading to a meeting and now they are all waiting (at every intersection that crosses this rail line east or west) in downtown Seattle for this line of coal cars to pass.

After about ten minutes I exit this wait at the train crossing, turn around and head in the other direction. And by doing so, I solve my immediate need to move forward with my day. However, I have a feeling of not knowing what is actually happening and what this all means to the long term health and wellness of the city of Seattle. Yoga helps in this moment as the mind became annoyed by the train delay. Instead of going into the feeling of anxiety I turned up the music. Then the mind was not happy with the length of the train delay. Instead of going into a feeling of anxiety I began to look at the train and ponder the reason the train was holding us so long at the crossing. After realizing this was a coal train that was not covered the mind wondered who, what, when, where and why this train came at the height of the mid-day rush hour. But instead of allowing this to create anxiety I realized what the mind was doing and that it was not helping towards my goal for this trip. I was able to table the questions for another time. And move forward by turning around and taking an alternate route.

Read more about the issues with coal trains in Seattle.