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Could You be a Bridgetender?
Within 5 minutes of meeting a new bridgetender, I can tell if he or she is going to last. And I’m never wrong. Opening drawbridges isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t even last for that 5 minutes. They take one look at the catwalks and stairways, suspended precariously high above the water, and they quit…
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Too Peopley
Apologies in advance. I’m in a mood. I’ve probably snapped out of it by the time you read this, as I generally write my entries several days ahead of time. There’s a reason I’m a bridgetender. I thrive on the isolation. I like working independently. I also live alone, unless you count my dogs, and…
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Revisiting My Relocation
Back in August, 2014, I moved from Florida to Seattle. This was a huge leap for me as I didn’t know a soul out here, and had never even been to Washington state, let alone to this city. All I knew was that I desperately needed a do over, and the opportunity presented itself, so…
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Permission to Fail
A friend of mine had been in a dark place for many, many years. He had been struggling with addiction, depression, and isolation. I had been worried about him for quite some time. And then slowly, little by little, over the course of a year, I started to notice positive changes in him. He got…
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Inclusion
Yet another reason to love Seattle. I just read in this article that they’ve unveiled several rainbow crosswalks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and they will last long after this year’s Pride festivities are over and done with. And then the Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage is legal nationwide. That’s the best thing…
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Human Contact
The other night I had sort of a girls’ night out with a new friend. We had dinner, and then went to a storytelling/music event. I had a wonderful time. It was nice to talk to someone face to face who wasn’t a coworker. It’s been a long time. I’ve been entirely too isolated. It…
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Topographical Introversion
I’m about as introverted as a person can be without curling into a little ball and crawling back inside my mother’s womb. I love to read. Most of the time I’m quite content to be by myself. And while I long for two or three friends in this new city of mine, if I had…
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Shocked
I heard this story once about a guy on a subway, stuck in a car with a man and his five obnoxious kids. The father sat there and did nothing as these kids ran around jumping on things and shouting and just generally making a nuisance out of themselves. Finally the guy couldn’t hide his…
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Foul Weather Friends
Everyone has heard of Fair Weather Friends—those friends who are more than happy to be in your life when all is well, but when the stuff hits the fan, they’re nowhere to be found. Nothing like a stormy sea to make the scales fall from your eyes regarding that type of person. But I’ve also…