Trust the Pilot in Life

In the historic city of Haarlem, Netherlands, where canals intertwined with cobbled streets, lived Emma, a talented violinist. She had spent years mastering her craft and had finally been accepted into the Royal Concert Hall Orchestra in Amsterdam. It was her lifelong dream—until everything started going wrong.

Her first performance was a disaster. She missed a note during a solo, and the conductor’s disappointed glance shook her confidence. A few weeks later, she struggled with a complicated piece, and whispers among fellow musicians made her feel like an imposter. Self-doubt began to creep in.

One rainy afternoon, feeling overwhelmed, Emma boarded a train from Haarlem to Amsterdam to clear her mind. The rhythmic sound of the train soothed her, but as it entered a long, dark tunnel, she suddenly felt uneasy. A voice in her head whispered, "What if something goes wrong?"

At that moment, an elderly man sitting across from her smiled and said, "Strange, isn’t it? How we never panic in a dark tunnel?"

Emma looked at him, confused.

He continued, "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the loco pilot who drives it."

Emma’s eyes widened. She realized that her journey as a musician was just like this train ride. There would be dark moments, failures, and doubts—but that didn’t mean she should give up. She had to trust the process.

When the train emerged into daylight, Emma felt lighter. With renewed determination, she returned to practice, embracing mistakes as part of learning. Months later, she stood on the grand stage of the Concert Hall, her violin in hand, ready to perform.

She took a deep breath and smiled—because she had trusted in her soul that drives her life.

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the Engineer - Corrie Ten Boom