“My son said, ‘Having the opportunity to start anew was so huge for me!’” – Taylor Oldroyd

Starting Anew

“You’ve been through hell.  But, you can be anyone you want to be here!”  Rex Reeve said to my much younger version in a new state and city.  That was then, many years ago.  And, now a bridge was about to be built, that spanned forty-three years, to the present.

There was a familiar face across the patio.  When four inquisitive eyes met and tentative nods were exchanged. Upon which, we both moved closer so as to confirm identities.  After all, sometimes it’s hard to recognize someone, even a friend, when the context is different.  And, sometimes you can recognize yourself for the first time, or after a long while of missing who you really are, only when the context has been altered.  That was the bridge to discovery being built as a result of a view.  The patio view of Woodrow Wilson Bridge, while looking out over the Potomac River on a sunny Tuesday morning, with a friend.

It had been a number of years since I’d seen Taylor Oldroyd.  So, I asked him to catch me up on his life and he began building a bridge from the past, into the present, and showed me how change had opened the way to a brighter, unknown future for those he loved most.

“When we moved from the state my daughter was angry.  We relocated to Montana and then again to North Carolina.  Happily, years later, she came to me and said, ‘Dad, those moves were the best thing that could have happened to me!’”  He said.

She noticed how she had become much more resilient as a result of the changes that had occurred even though they were outside of her personal control.  Having to face changed geography created more confidence in her ability to cope with the unknown.  She knew that she could be confronted with all-consuming change and not only survive, but find new talents and skills that lay dormant within.  And, she wasn’t the only one of his children to make this important discovery.

“My son said, ‘Having the opportunity to start anew was huge for me!’”  Taylor continued.  “I said, ‘That’s great, now the next thing is to learn is how to achieve the same result by staying in the same location!  You need to be able to seize opportunity, to chase your dreams and become the person you want to be, no matter your location or circumstance.’”  Taylor explained to me while taking in the view across the Potomac River toward Woodrow Wilson Bridge.  He didn’t know it, but he was bridging the way toward a new understanding of how to benefit from change, both forced and chosen.  

Sometimes a change in geography can be a catalyst.  The start of an important discovery.  The discovery of a personal strength you didn’t know existed.  After all, if there is one constant in life, it is change.

Most of us fear forced, external change.  It can be hard for us to embrace.  Yet, even with its difficulties, the way forward can be eased by taking the time to recognize what such change has awakened within.  And, this internal bridge building isn’t always a simple single span structure. Getting from who you are now to who you want to become often requires more.

It requires an ability to overcome outside, physical constraints that fetter most people.  It, more times than not, requires a journey to an oft undiscovered geography; one’s own heart and soul.  That sort of journey is most often an unforced and lonely move; the ability to seize opportunity, to chase your deepest desires and become the person you dream of being, no matter your location or circumstance.

“You’ve been through hell.  But, you can be anyone you want to be here!”  Rex Reeve once said to my much younger version in a new state and city.  That was then, many years ago.  And, now, on a patio highlighting exceptional beauty, a bridge was being built that spanned a forty-three-year journey, to the present, of embracing an ever-changing interior.

There was a familiar face across the patio.  When four inquisitive eyes met and tentative nods were exchanged. Upon which, we both moved closer so as to confirm identities.  After all, sometimes it’s hard to recognize someone, even a friend, when the context is different.  And, sometimes you can recognize yourself for the first time, or after a long while of missing who you really are, only when the context has been altered.  That was the bridge to discovery being built as a result of changed perspective through experience.

It offered a glimpse of wonder, of how to start anew, voluntarily, from the inside.