We had no sooner taken our seats in the railway carriage and the train was beginning to move slowly out of the station when the guard came along the corridor and presented me with my viola! The porter had spotted it, reclining in its case all alone on the platform seat where Lillian and I had been busily engaged in conversation, run along the platform, and thrust it into the hands of the guard through the luggage van window as the train was moving off. Such was my absorption in Lillian that I could even forget the existence of my beloved and precious viola which had meant so much to me for so many years.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Caught up in conversation, the narrator forgets his cherished viola, which is then retrieved and handed to a guard as the train departs.
- In plain terms
- He forgets his viola while talking, and it is rescued.
- What can you take from it?
- Stay aware of surroundings even when engaged.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How often do we misplace valued items?
- What habits prevent this?
Another view
The anecdote is personal and may not generalize.
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