I like to think of a move being like crossing a bridge. It is a good metaphor
When I think about crossing bridges, the one that comes to mind is the Cameron Langston Bridge from the mainland at Cedar Point and Cape Carteret to Emerald Isle.
It is about two miles from the stop light on the mainland at the intersection of Highway 24 and 58 to the stoplight on Emerald Isle at Highway 58 and Coast Guard Road. Some days it can be a long ride if you happen to be on the bridge during one of those handful of days when we have lots of people checking into rental homes.
I love crossing the bridge because it renews my spirit. I was excited today when we were briefly caught in stop and go traffic. The stop meant that I could stick my camera out the window and take pictures of Bogue Inlet from the bridge.
Crossing the bridge is one of the high lights of my day. I tend to forget everyday concerns when I am on the bridge.
So far I have not forgotten that I am driving like people often do when they cross the bridge the first time.
Bogue Sound and its blue waters symbolize the infinite possibilities that we face. It is hard to tell what the waters hold just as it is hard to tell what life has in store for us.
However, I have to believe in myself and my abilities to make the decisions that will guide my life or on another level my skiff when I am out riding on Bogue Sound.
It might be easy to fear crossing the bridge, but I have been crossing them all my life from the time I left home at the age of fourteen to go to military school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When I went away to college, I packed my car and headed off to Boston with no fear. At the end of college, I ended up buying a farm and moving to Canada to raise purebred cattle. It was a huge journey into the unknown for a history major.
I have crossed a lot of bridges. While I might have made some different decisions along the way, I would cross all the bridges again without hesitation. I have learned something with every journey. My life and my family's life is richer for having living in such a diverse batch of places.
When making a decision to move, you eventually get to the point where no amount of making lists or calculations is going to solve the issue of whether to go forward or stay where you are.
It takes a leap of faith to make that first step.
Maybe some of us are just wired to take that step onto the bridge and soar high above the water where we can see the possibilities. Others are happier with fewer unknowns and staying where life is comfortable.
There is something exciting about moving to a new place, making new friends, and seeing new horizons. Maybe it can give you a knot in your stomach if you let it, but it can also free you from the ties that bind you to a routine that might not let you or your family reach its full potential.
I hope that age does not take that lack of hesitation away from me. It has served me well. I might be richer if I had been more cautious, but my soul would have been far poorer if I had feared to cross the bridges of my life.
I know the decision to move is hard, but few good things in life comes without some sacrifice. I would rather see what life holds around the next bend than watch reruns.
If nothing else it is something that makes you stronger in the longer run.
