Anyone Seen The Bridge?

I'd like to express a hearty 'thank you' to all who've spread the word of My Infinite Wisdom . If you're wondering why I linked my own site to my own site, I'm not quite sure. I suppose it just makes sense. It is, however, greatly appreciated (your commenting efforts, that is). All of us here at SeanJM Incorporated (it's just me, secretly) offer our sincerest showings of gratitude. Sincerely, we do. We really do. Honestly, we do. And no, we'd never dare ask for more. We try and avoid biting the hands that have so graciously fed us - but, some might say we're teething, and if we bite, we apologize in advance. With that said, I can't help but ask for more. I've tantalized by in depth comments and responsive attitudes from a once flat-lined readership. Look at me, I'm freaking desperate. Just help me out.

Well, now that I've completed my plea, I figure it's about time to get to the point. But you all know me, hopefully, and if you do, then you know that it takes me a while to warm myself up. What you're reading right now has little to do with anything in particular - including the point - and should only be considered as a small work out for a select few of my fingers. I'm typing this with my pinky only. I'm typing this with my thumb. I'm typing this using the home row. Ok, so I'm not. I don't even know how to use the homerow, why the hell would I warm up with it? I don't know either. Anyway, I'm starting to guess that I've annoyed most of you by this point, and it might be a good idea to get on with things.

I've always been a self-advocate of crossing bridges when I get to them. I've crossed bridges that have taken me from Mrs. Stapleton's kindergarten extravaganza to halfway through my senior year. I've crossed bridges from Canada to Detroit, from left to right, from here to there. I've crossed bridges only be greeted by friends with anxious eyes and open arms, and I've crossed equally as many into foreign lands with clouded eyes and folded arms. But, regardless of where the bridge has led me, it's always been there. I've never lost faith in the bridges I've crossed and have yet to cross. But, as we age and cross divides that deepen and widen (much like some of our torsos and midsections) bridges become sparse. Bridges become absent. If it doesn't strike abject fear into your hearts, well, it should. With every passing moment we eliminate our own possibilities. We cut down and abolish our bridges. It's this truth that makes it hard for some people to live their lives - but I'm certainly condoning such behavior. Hiding from decisions and ignoring the bridges doesn't solve the problem, it causes it. Our mission, prospectively anyway, isn't just mere survival - it's life. I can easily survive life in the bubble of my choosing. In fact, I found a fairly livable one with a practically nonexistent mortgage rate. Very acceptable. But, unfortunately, acceptable isn't always best - or at least easy. Avoiding the watershed decisions of our lives leads to regret, remorse, and nothing less than misery.

For most of my natural life these crucial decisions had been made for me. Sure, I walked across the bridge, but my hand was always held, and I knew exactly what I'd find on the connecting side. As the days of our youth slip and crawl away (faster than any of us can deal with), so does the comfort of abstaining from choice. We have to choose. Friends, there's no way around it. And, this choice, these choices, could be the end of everything I've lived so far to accomplish. Or, they could reaffirm and reconcile my current course with the course of desire and success. While we all ask for help, help that we're more than entitled to, we fail to see that help isn't always there. Sooner or later, for the sake of living a life with the possibility of happiness, I'll be faced with a decision of unprecedented magnitude. But, while sometimes we ask for help when there is none, we're all guilty of refusing the help that's offered. We've built our defenses to secure what we know, to what we're accustomed. Why should we, the proud people that we are, need help crossing a bridge that we ourselves probably built? I can't answer that question, nor can I answer the questions that people refuse to ask.

The last thing we need now is sympathy - or, better yet, pity. I have no pity for people who find themselves faced with crucial decisions, but sometimes it's rather tragic. In a world where the smallest choice could balloon and grow and explode into a life-altering experience, it's our duty to be fully aware of each and every consequence. I refer to "consequence" with both a negative and positive connotation. There should be nothing but faith instilled in every one reading this. If you've been reading for this long, you've probably learned something (I hope so, anyway). And, subsequently, if you've learned something from me, then you're the sort of person who has a firm or flaccid grip on life. Yes, firm or flaccid - not exactly the same thing. My point exactly. Who can tell what life has thrown at you, certainly not me. Who can tell how you'll react when the decisions you've made continuously erase the bridges you wish you could cross? Nobody but you, I'm afraid. It's sad, but true, that we don't notice our entrapment until it's much too late to do anything about it. But, the decisions we make build or break the bridges we cross later. I just hope it's not too late for me, and for everyone else out there.

Remember, there's nothing wrong with asking for directions.

Just make sure they point you towards the right bridge.