The Bridge to Terabithia is the story of Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke, two fifth-graders who become friends and create an imaginary land called Terabithia, where they can go to forget about their problems. Terabithia can only be accessed though a walk across a bridge. The path towards transitioning from one phase of life to another can also be seen as a bridge. Daunting with the uncertainty of what is on the other side and once you cross there is no going back.
Now unless you’re a perfectionist who fully has their life together any transition is often met with fear. Fear of the unknown as well as the fear of failure. What we fail to realize is that every phase of life can be successfully navigated through.
Most of us are taught to approach life in a very linear way; life appears to move forward, right? And as life moves on, it’s only logical that the more change and transition you go through, the more opportunity you have to mentally shape patterns of your life, see how you handle change, and recognize whether you can successfully negotiate and navigate necessary transitions, both those you start and those that just come about on their own like growing up.
What is critical to remember is that whatever happens to you is ultimately up to you. Be aware and beware of making excuses and inventing reasons why life is too difficult for you to navigate through and/or manage on your own. Don’t assume that what seems comfortable and familiar is always for your greater good.
After you’ve weighed your options, you need to put your thoughts and feelings into motion. Conscious action has the power to creatively translate your personal, intimate, inner world into a tangible, recognizable process in the world outside of your self. Consider all of the possibilities and then choose one and pursue it to its conclusion.
Becoming personally accountable for yourself and your actions is another aspect of transition that frees you from outside influences, boosts confidence in your ability to make healthy choices and decisions, and ultimately fosters trust in your own process. This is also a key way to express your individuality, to present a unique and fresh perspective.
Recognize that change is essential for living a fruitful life. Fear of change, fear of stepping into the unknown, creates a uniform existence, often dull, narrow in scope, and uninspired. Change creates possibility. Once you’ve made a firm decision to shift gears and put your own plans aside for the time being, you’ll be less affected by the emotions of change. Now you can fully address the practical matters that have to be attended to that might include getting your current life in order so that you can shift direction.
In other words, take care of your own business.
Last but certainly not least, intuition is inherent within all of us—although many people don’t pay much attention to it or may not even believe in it. (It’s not a logical or practical process.) But intuition developed over time gives you some idea of what you’re really feeling. And after a while you can count on it as a legitimate and necessary source of knowing. Your “gut”, or any other part of your body, can tell you a lot about what’s going on internally, often when you’re not even aware of it on any other level.
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The KSChronicles are the observations and insights of blogger and journalist Kerdisha St.Louis. Each article seeks to invoke a reaction and/or introspection from readers in Dominica and the Diaspora on various thought provoking issues and topics. The column is published every Friday.
This is why so many people are wary of creativity.
The very process of creative thought and creative work involves piecing together elements that are different to what has gone before.