Coffee Axis, the Gift

One of the wonderful things about being human is dreaming.

Today I am going to tell you about a dream I had these days. A beautiful dream in which I received a gift.

I was working in my office when the boss called me and told me, I had won a 5-day train trip through the coffee axis of Colombia—the reason for being an employee of the year.

I had always wanted to get to know that country, its culture, people, and nature. And now I had the opportunity to do so. The boss told me that the plane was leaving the next day at six o'clock in the morning.

I arrived at the airport and looked for the airline. The lady who attended me smiled and told me that she had a surprise for me. Not only did I win the trip, but it was all first class.

I arrived in Bogota and there I got on another plane to Medellin where a huge cup of Colombian coffee and the organizers of the tour were waiting for me.

Without rest, the adventure began. I was so impressed that I looked like a fool with my mouth open.

We arrived at the train station. Everything was technology and the theme had to do with coffee and coffee farms.

Suddenly, I turned pale at the sight of a bullet train arriving.

That could not be. I realized that what I was living was not reality. The Coffee Train is a project that would become a reality in 2040 and not in 2023.

I told myself I was in a dream. It was impossible to travel back in time, let alone that the train project would be completed in 2023.

I sat down and put on my seat belt. Next to me was a man dressed in an elegant suit with a leather briefcase. He greeted me cordially and asked me if this was my first trip to the coffee axis. I told him yes, and that I had won the trip in a contest. He congratulated me and told me that he was there because he had a business meeting there.

I found it interesting. I asked him more about his work and he told me that he had been in the business for years. He knew the best coffee producers in the country. He had contacts all over the world. He was a successful and respected man.

I felt a little intimidated. I compared my life to his and realized that I had nothing to offer. That I was a simple office employee. I had no partner and no children. That I had no friends. That I had no dreams or goals. That I was unhappy.

I felt a sense of sadness and emptiness. I wondered what the meaning of my life was, and why I had earned the trip.

Then something unexpected happened. The train began to shake. A rumbling sound was heard. The lights went out.

Over the loudspeaker, a woman's voice said that we had suffered a failure. That we were out of control at astronomical speed. That we should brace for impact.

I felt a shiver. I thought of death.

I looked at the man next to me. He was scared too. He took my hand and told me to pray. To trust in God. That he would save us.

I closed my eyes and began to pray. To ask forgiveness for my sins. To ask for a second chance, for a miracle.

The train crashed into a huge mountain. There was a huge explosion.

I woke up on a stretcher. I was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They told me I had survived. That it was a miracle. I had a head wound, but it was not serious. That I would recover soon. That for the time being I could drink a tasty Colombian coffee.

I asked about the man next to me. I was told that no one survived. That the rest of the passengers were guerrillas. They had hijacked the train to blow it up, but they had died. I was speechless.

Someone said I had been blessed by heaven. I had no idea what they were saying. I didn't understand what they were talking about.

I realized I was dreaming and fear came over me.

I woke up.

Once out of bed, I felt that something changed my life. I had received a revelation, a gift that cannot be bought with money, that cannot be exchanged for anything.

The gift of life. He was alive.

That gift made me appreciate what I had, what I was. It made me enjoy what I was doing.

That is why I tell you this story, the dream. So that you know that life is a gift, that life is happiness and you have to be grateful.

Merry Christmas!