Skip to main content

You've come to a bridge, now what?

I have been thinking about this this weekend. What have you done with the bridges in your life? There are several things that you can do.

You can burn them. Many of us have done that, whether we realize it or not. We also have to suffer the consequences of the arson job. Two years ago when I was out of a job, a couple of things I did in the past stood in my way of getting employment sooner than the nine plus months in which I was out of work. Many others have done things to affect their relationships with friends and family. Sometimes the bridge can be rebuilt, other times not so much. Be careful with these bridges.

You can camp under them. Too often we hear about the homeless living by the river under a bridge. Too many people and programs nowadays offer a hand out, and too few offer a hand up. You don't have to be physically there to be there. Sometimes wallowing in self pity is the same as camping under this bridge. I've always been told that God helps those who help themselves. I think that even though this isn't in the Bible, it is a truism. Sometimes those who need help also need some direction, especially how to get away from this bridge.

Some jump off them. Some of my high school friends who will read this post after I put the link in Facebook remember Mr. McCormick. He was a math teacher at our school. His first year out of college and teaching was my senior year. He was very intelligent, but was the target of much ridicule and meanness from the students. The year following our graduation, Mr. McCormick was also having other problems in his life, including his fiance leaving him. One day he called off from work sick, drove to Akron, and jumped off a high level bridge.  This past year, one of our classmates, after dealing with alcoholism, shot himself.
Several others reading these words remember our blogging friend, Liquid. Dealing with some emotional issues and a failed marriage, Suzanne took her life on Christmas Eve, 2008.
Please, please, please stay away from this bridge. There are those who care. Ask for help until you get it. Jumping off this bridge affects more than you.

Many cross the bridge and go on. And some come back to tell what's on the other side, maybe help others get to the other side. We are all in this together. Some go further away from the bridge than others, but that's okay.

What will you do when you come to your bridge?

Comments

Syd said…
Beautiful post, Cliff. I am sorry for those who decided to end life rather than reach for a hand to help them along. Great sentiment to share today.
April 08, 2012 8:09 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 800: Time to chat

Hi Guys, It's hard to believe that this is post number 800 for this blog. I started this blog out of my desire to communicate. Since radio and television is becoming more and more automated and less and less personal, I'm glad I made the decision to go in this direction as it has given me many blessings. When I first decided to write my musings, a friend from the radio and television boards who goes by the name of newsnomore, told me not to be discouraged if I didn't get any readers. The fact that I did in the early going made me surprised and grateful that anyone was enjoying what I wrote. I've had people tell me that maybe it wasn't meant for me to ever be in radio, that maybe my calling was blogging. Nowadays I think blogging makes for better two way conversation than terrestrial radio, especially the way I do it, non confrontational. The closest I come from any confrontation is the innocent digs that Pat and I shoot at each other. On an average day I get betwee...
12 comments
Read more

From a "Battleground State"

I am going to make this one short and sweet. I live in Ohio, in this election season, one of the so called "Battleground states," a state crucial for any candidate presidential hopes. Of course we have had many visits from presidential and vice presidential candidates. Other blogs have dissected both campaigns so I will not. The only questions I have is will the promises made by either of these candidates exclusive to these states be fulfilled, or will they prove only to be hot air?
19 comments
Read more

My job

I have worked at my company for, unofficially, 17 years. When I first started working there in June, 1992, the average work week was 55-57 hours. Sometimes you worked more than that. I was 36 years old at the time and I could handle the long hours and short nights of sleep. 17 years and three knee surgeries later, I need less hours work and more hours sleep. Even moving into a quasi desk job, I still find it difficult to crawl out of bed at 3am. I could get up later if I wanted to put up with both rush hours. But this morning, things will change slightly. I received a call from my department manager yesterday. I was notified that I had to cut my time down to 40 hours. This would be down from 44-45 that I normally work. No surprise there as all the other departments got notified before I was. And I had to split my time between plants, doing calibrations at the other shop 1-1/2 days a week. I'm actually looking forward to the change. I also like the prospect of getting an hour extra...
11 comments
Read more