OCTOBER 26
When I was 15 I traveled with a group of fellow teenagers from Northeast Ohio to spend our Spring Break in Colorado. At the end of our service work, we would get to hike Pikes Peak_the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains. I was so excited b/c I had always wanted to travel, to get out of our little house by the train tracks, and to see the world_to experience mountains, cities, and different cultures. Yet, before we could do any of that, we had to drive and drive for hundreds of miles. We also would need to cross several bridges to get our destination. Thankfully, my mom lent me her now vintage, point and shoot Kodak Star camera. I kept it on my lap, ready to imprint the things I saw, not only into my physical eyes, but to imprint them onto the eyes of my heart. The spiritual heart is a real thing. It was that heart, longing for change, that was ready for to experience this new world. And so I waited. I waited for something to catch the attention of my heart so that I could “see, see.”
It would be several hours before I picked up the Kodak Star camera, but when I did I knew my creative heart was coming alive.
Our trip leader had yelled back, we’re in St. Louis now. At that moment I became star struck. The bridges were stunning. I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I was falling in love with the power to create. I was enamored with the thumbprint of God and it was drawing out the creator inside of me. Sigh (in a completely good way). I like to call these “first love” moments.
Friends, can I tell you, I love everything about bridges, especially bridges that span a great body of water or divide. The lines. The breadth. The power to connect. So many of us live disconnected lives boarded up behind walls_literal walls, emotional & spiritual ones, too. For many it is a warranted way to live because of the pain of past abuse and those who have tried to control them and their lives (will & autonomy). Not many want to connect with groups and people when they’ve been burnt. I know I haven’t (if I’m being completely honest).
From this kind of space, it takes tremendous courage to pilgrimage into the great unknown with a willingness to connect to others not knowing who will love you and who will hate you. It’s courage to create, a courage to put your work (even your words) out there into the world, not knowing where they will land or who will connect with them. It’s a courage to believe others will believe in you and see you through these very things_vulnerable, raw & refined. In the end, through this lens, it’s about “Taking heart” in risky vulnerability. “Take heart, my friend.” You take your heart in hand, and I’ll take mine. From here we’ll cross these bridges. From here we’re going to love the hell out of the world and then pour kindness into it_with our words, our art, our blueprints & our business plans_we’ll cross these bridges together in Love and connect in grace. It’s who we were made to be.
[Photo taken while my family was traveling during Christmas vacation circa 2013. It’s a snap shot (thumbprint) of Eads Bridge in St. Louis as I experienced it. Double exposed, muted, monochromatic edit].
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