Facing Your Own Personal Bridge

My mom surprised me with a trip to Manhattan. We were going to the American Girl Doll Store. Procuring an American Girl Doll as a seven-year-old is equivalent to getting into the college of your dreams. I had my heart set on getting the Beach Edition doll. That doll came with a towel, lounge chair, and a beach ball. I fantasized about playing with these pieces of plastic on the beach. I could see the water now. Oh wait... I could actually see the water now. I was no longer fantasizing about the doll. I saw our car approaching the Triborough Bridge. The huge steel arches were in front of me and the river below me. My heart rate quickly picked up speed. All I wanted was for the car to stop and us to quickly turn around. I did not want to traverse the bridge.

Some kids fear darkness, monsters or being alone. Crossing bridges was my biggest fear! So there I was, smack on the middle of the bridge, screaming till my face turned red. My lungs were almost visible in my chest. My mom looked back at me and yelled, “It’s just a bridge!" I felt the tears coming. I bet it was enough water for my new doll to swim in. I cried enough tears to fill the Hudson and Nile rivers.

As we slowed down on the bridge, my mother looked back and said, “Jaime, why are you so scared? You are going to get to the other side.” I stared at her with a blank look on my face. The question was so simple yet I was speechless. She said, “Take a deep breath. Think of the most fun thing you have ever done.” I remembered the time we went to the beach and did flips in the sand. I let this image play in my mind as our car zoomed over the river, my eyes watching the water the entire time.

By the time we got to the other side, my body had gone from 65% to 30% water. Tears had streamed down my face but now for a different reason. I did it. I went over that bridge.

As humans, we cross illusory bridges every day. We are all thrown obstacles in life, but if we do not face them head-on, we will never be able to get to the other side. It may be scary, and the road may be long, but it is worth it in the end. No risk, no reward. If I had not faced my fear and gone over the bridge, I would never have gotten my beloved doll.

Put aside your fears, and do not let them get in the way of your goals. No obstacle is too big to conquer. Our fears are only as powerful as we allow them to be. The way we handle them determines the journey we take, and sometimes the scariest journey is the best one. So, take a deep breath, sit up straight, and just keep driving. Whatever doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. We can all make it to the other side.