THE CROSSING
A Simple Image That Changed the Way I Understand Life
Some of the ideas that shape us most begin with something ordinary.
For me, it was a crosswalk.
Over time, the image of the curb, the crosswalk, and the other side of the street gave me language for
experiences I had struggled to describe.
The curb represents recognition. It is the moment when I can no longer pretend life is exactly as it was. Sometimes recognition arrives through a dramatic event. At other times, it develops slowly as I realize that a role, relationship, expectation, behavior, or way of living can no longer continue unchanged.
The crosswalk represents uncertainty and movement. I have left something familiar, but the new ground is not yet secure. I may move forward, pause, reconsider, look back, or ask for help. None of those responses necessarily means I have failed. They are part of what it means to move while the future is still taking shape.
The other side of the street represents rebuilding. It is not a return to the life I left behind or proof that difficulty has ended. It is where I begin learning how to live within changed circumstances.
The crossing taught me that different does not automatically mean lesser.
It also taught me that reaching the other side is not a final destination. New curbs appear. New crossings begin. But I do not approach them as exactly the same person.
I bring experience with me.
That is why the crossing continues.
