Seize The Morning (Part II)

Some people face crossroads in their lives, but bridges have always defined the changes in mine. In most places I have lived during my adult life, there has always been one or two bridges that anchored me to the place, and I will forever live with the regret that I did not photograph them all. I tried to rectify the situation and some ten years ago finally began documenting bridges and explore their philosophical role in my life, defining the way I deal with people and situations.

Who hasn’t burned bridges along the way? You don’t get to your middle age without messing up at least three relationships / friendships! Regrets, we all have them, but the burning question the older we get is whether or not we are willing to rebuild them. And when you reach that point where you look back and take stock of the people you left behind and those presently in your life, ask yourself, are you in a better place now or when they were in your life? Don’t answer that right away, because this is a tough one, and in my case, it opens up a lot of old wounds.

It’s not about having a guilty conscience, but more a sense of regret that things could not have been resolved in a better manner. I chalked all those broken and burned bridges up to experience, and boy were they tough life lessons!

I woke up at an obnoxiously early hour this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I finished packing (am moving tonight), got dressed and looked at my clock. It was way to early to go to the station, but I left anyway because when I looked out the window, I had my answer.

Honestly, I could kick myself for not exploring the path to the station that I took today much earlier. It is full of magical energy that comes from the water, the light and the silence beneath the canopy of trees. This is a special combination that revitalised my exhausted body and as a reward, I got these shots:

I’ve reached a turning point in my life here in Portugal. My purpose in life is no longer maintaining the bridges, or crossing them to leave and move on to another place, but to return to myself and invite people into my life. It is not about chasing the bridges anymore, but being the bridge.