Crossing Bridges: A Reflection on Travel, Life, and Taking Leaps

By Keith Sherman, Business Development at Swartz and Associates

Recently my wife Melanie and I were in Europe for a magical trip. I am so grateful for the beauty of the places we visited, the food and libations we enjoyed, the walking and talking we did together. History surrounded us and seeing other cultures felt like stepping into a timeless moment. It felt this way because I was completely in the moment – for the first time in 38 years I turned off my phone. No emails, no notifications, no distractions. My phone became my camera, capturing the moments we were experiencing.

We Will Cross That Bridge

This got me thinking of the age-old proverb of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Throughout my career I often took on high risk opportunities professionally in the marketing and advertising business. We moved a lot for all kinds of reasons – family, title, money, learning, status, impact, mergers, loss of job, and the list goes on. With each transition, I spent a lot of time worrying: Will people do what they say they are going to do? What is going to happen? What action is required? Was this the right decision?

During our stay in Amsterdam, surrounded by canals, that phrase gained new meaning. Whether we walked to a planned destination or just wandered around, we crossed those bridges as we came to them. Life operates in the same way. Some days we set out with a plan and other days we wander without direction – but we cross many bridges along the way.

Take that step onto the bridge. Embrace the moments as they come. It isn’t that you are reckless in your decision making… You are facing your doubts head on and taking a leap that you believe in.

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