The Fate Train: Why Challenges Arrive Right on Schedule

Metallica has a way of telling the truth without sugar-coating it.

In the song ‘No Leaf Clover’, lead singer James Hetfield hollers:

“Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel

Was just a freight train comin’ your way.”

Most of us have lived that line.

You think you’re finally catching a break, a calm week, a solved problem, a season of life that feels lighter, and then life hits you with something loud, unexpected, and fully committed to running you over.

Careers shift.

Health changes.

Finances wobble.

Relationships strain.

Opportunities evaporate.

Or, if the Universe is feeling especially clever, all of the above shows up at once.

Metallica captures that moment when hope and reality collide. The “soothing light” is not always salvation. Sometimes it’s momentum, and not yours.

But here’s the part Metallica doesn’t mention: Just because a train is barreling toward you doesn’t mean you’re doomed.

Enter Marcus Aurelius, the ‘Philosopher King’ of the Roman Empire.

The man lived through plagues, betrayals, wars, political chaos, and the daily work of raising a future emperor… and he did it with a single idea held tightly:

Amor Fati. Love your fate.

Not tolerate it.

Not endure it.

Love it.

Love the events you didn’t choose.

Love the interruptions.

Love the obstacles because they become the path.

Love the train, even when it’s not slowing down.

Marcus wasn’t talking about destiny like some Hollywood script. He was talking about a posture, a partnership with reality, a willingness to meet life as it arrives.

So how do we merge a Metallica lyric with a Stoic emperor?

Metallica sees the train.

Marcus teaches us what to do when it appears.

What if the “freight train coming your way” is actually your fate arriving right on schedule?

A fate-train doesn’t show up because you’re unlucky.

It shows up because you’re alive.

It shows up because growth rarely tiptoes. Growth rumbles and charges.

The Stoics told us the train is not the enemy; instead, the adversary is our own fear of what the train might do to us.

“When you are distressed by the external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgement of it.”

- Marcus Aurelius

Equanimity starts with seeing the train for what it is, accepting it, and stepping into the noise with a calm center that refuses to flinch.

Equanimity does not stop the train; it prepares you to meet it.

When you practice Amor Fati, you stop spending energy resisting what has already arrived. You meet your fate like someone who has been training for this exact moment.

You don’t get smaller. You get still.

You don’t get crushed. You get clear.

And eventually, with practice, you stop running from the train and step onto the platform with a quiet confidence that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Because now you understand something Metallica didn’t write, but Marcus absolutely would have:

The train is not here to flatten you; it’s here to carry you.

Where Reverse Mortgages fit into all of this

Every week, I talk with people who are facing their own version of a fate-train.

A mortgage payment that doesn’t play nicely with retirement.

Rising or unknown healthcare costs.

A sudden and significant expense.

Or simply the steady realization that longevity is wonderful, but it isn’t cheap.

These moments often feel like Metallica’s lyric come to life:

“I thought that light was hope… nope, it’s a train.”

But here’s where Amor Fati can shift the whole experience: A reverse mortgage loan isn’t about running from the train. It’s about boarding the train with intention.

For some homeowners, the ability to turn housing wealth into monthly breathing room, a long-term buffer, or a future-proof plan is the difference between feeling cornered and feeling equipped.

Not because everything becomes perfect, and certainly not because the train disappears. But because you now have tools that help you meet the moment with clarity instead of fear.

A reverse mortgage loan should never be a reaction to panic.

It’s a strategy for people who want to forge their fate rather than be molded by it.

When challenges show up, this option can turn what feels like a collision into a ride forward.

The Fate Train is coming regardless

Life will send more trains - it always has and always will.

What changes is how prepared you are when they arrive.

Metallica warns you, Marcus equips you, and thoughtful planning, including how you use the equity you already own, gives you more control over what happens next.

Not doom. Not bad luck. Not punishment.

Just fate, right on schedule.

And this time, you’re not bracing for impact. You’re boarding with purpose.