Beacon

I love the Anzac Bridge. I don’t care what anyone else says – it is MY bridge.

If I didn’t have the Anzac Bridge to look at when I go walking or glance at when I go driving I would have no choice but to find another bridge – to consider jumping from.

I’m joking, of course, but it’s funny how things can become so important to us.

The bridge provides me with a strong sense of place. A focus. When the rest of the world is falling down I know it’ll be there just being and carrying on.

Think of the things that act as beacons for you. That tree by the door. The soft light in the bookshop window you walk by every day. The street sign near work that bears the same name as your favourite aunt. The stretch of road that turns you towards home.

Those things mark your day. They have a power that wards off loneliness and disenchantment. They are signs that we belong.

I know the Anzac Bridge. I know where I am when I see it. I know where I’m going.

As my feet crunch on maple leaves as I round the bay I catch first glimpse of it and say: Oh, there you are.

It is like greeting an old friend.

It is like always having a place to run to.

20 thoughts on “Beacon”

  1. Favourite bridge?

    Severn Bridge? Forth Bridge? Menai Bridge?

    While all these are favourites, the prize must go the the Oeresund Bridge, which crosses the Kattegat, and joins Sweden to Denmark.

    My friend Stig, the Danish brewer, says it’s so the Swedes can easily come across and get some decent beer.
    (And, having tasted Swedish beer once, I think he’s right!)

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  3. Hi TRAVELRAT:
    I just googled that bridge and it is fantastic. I’ve tasted Swedish beer too and they really should stick to designing furniture. 😆

    Hi MELEAH:
    Bridges can be scary. I think the problem with most of them is that people drive too fast on them. I much prefer looking at bridges to driving on them.

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  4. I have never been on a bridge like this. At least, not that I recall… although I have been on 2 terrifying bridges in Louisiana & South Texas (can’t remember exactly where – LONG time ago) that the boats go under – it’s like your climbing high on a roller coaster with nothing buckling you in. Athena hates bridges of any kind, even overpasses!

    Things that are a beacon for me? I guess maybe the giant statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas, assuring me that I’m almost *home*. Or the Lava fields in Blackfoot, ID where I always wonder what it was like crossing those in the days of the horse and buggy. Or the Tetons on a clear day up in St. Anthony, ID with the sunset casting a pink hue on them. Or the field on the way to Magnolia, Tx that blossoms with a carpet of yellow flowers every summer. Lovely thoughts – hadn’t really considered them.

    BTW – I LOVE your collage there – that is C.O.O.L. 😀

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  5. ah. I saw this yesterday and wanted to comment but the computer at work was acting up! i can understand the love for the bridge. its how i feel about so many memories i left behind in Sydney. its an absolutely beautiful place and i cant wait to go again. though this time it’ll be only for a visit. 😦 I miss my house, bondi junction, the mad but awesome people i lived with, all of it. thank you for your blog. its my constant link to sydney. 🙂

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  6. Here’s a bridge that I saw as unique; an interesting subject to post on my blog:
    http://givemeamomentblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/gateshead-millennium-bridge.html

    I’ve also posted and commented about other bridges. The thing that is nice about your relationship with your bridge is that you’ve actually seen it in person — and it has become so much more than a urban landmark for you.

    Comments are welcome at my blog as well. Not all current subjects involve structures for crossing over … something

    ..

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  7. Hi TEX:
    I absolutely love your beacons. I had no idea Idaho had lava fields. Wow. How did they manage to cross them in the old days? Must have been perilous to say the least. The field with the yellow flowers is sheer poetry. Thanks for sharing your beacons. You have planted some lovely images in my mind!

    Hi SAN:
    What a lovely thing to say. I will do lots more posts on Sydney for you. I used to live in Bondi Junction about 15 years ago. It was really cool back then. What a small world. Great to hear from you.

    Hi QWKDRW:
    You are so right about the bridge becoming more than an urban landmark. I really appreciate your comment. Now I must come over and see your bridge.

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  9. I know exactly what you mean. I have many – Walter Taylor Bridge in Indooroopilly, Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane, Indooroopilly church (an architectural monstrosity) – the list goes on.

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  10. This just got me to thinking that if we built more bridges instead of erecting fences, there’d be better understanding and cooperation among the peoples of the world.

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  11. HI ANTHONY:
    Oh, me too. When I was younger I used to have trees as beacons as well as my mother’s stained glass lamp that was in the living room. I loved that lamp. It gave off the softest light.

    Hi GABRIELLE:
    There are so many beacons that offer us a kind of solace, if you think about it. I probably have about 50 on my list. I’ll have to google the church you mentioned. I love churches!

    Hi TIMOTEO:
    Amen. Yours is the comment of the week. I couldn’t agree more. Thank you!!

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  12. Yes, I have favourite nooks and crannies scattered about the landscape. I always loved motel signs at night when travelling long distances.

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  13. Favourite things. Ah… favourite big thing is the spider in front of the National Gallery. http://www.gallery.ca/english/1946.htm (There’s a web cam shot of her. Which I hadn’t quite realized until right this moment.)

    I recently brought home shiva and ganesh. Shiva came first, I’m told it’s an earlier incarnation. He’s standing on one foot, and he made me laugh. Ganesh is standing on a cobra… I relate to both. And they bring me great comfort, specially these last few weeks when I’ve been so terribly afraid.

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  14. Hi ROWE:
    Oh, me too. I LOVE Motel signs. That’s one of the reasons I want to go on a driving holiday through America. I want to make a film about all the motel and/or neon signs. It is one of my dreams. I’m going to do it one day!

    Hi NAT:
    That spider is amazing. WOW.

    I’m glad you’ve received comfort from Shiva and Ganesh. I’m sorry you’ve been feeling bad. If you ever need to talk don’t hesitate to email me. XXX

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  17. what steadies me more than anything is the Saint John river, which flows past my house….. I always feel centred when I take a drive along the Saint John river valley and take in the scenery…. the lovely fields and farmland……… the islands in the middle of the river. It is so majestically beautiful.

    I also love the fact that my lilac bushes are in bloom. They are a constant reminder that life continues as it should……..

    My home right now plays an important role in steadying me. When I’ve been gone for the day or a couple of days, I walk through the door and feels a sense of safety. When my marriage first imploded a couple of months ago, the house change so drastically and felt cold and lonely. This past week, I can feel its energy……. my energy in the atmosphere again. I know others feel comfort in my home, and I think they will feel it again here soon too. Thank God.

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  18. Hi ROWE:
    You would be more than welcome. It would be fun, wouldn’t it?

    Hi MELEAH:
    I have driven over some very old, creaky bridges in the countryside, praying the entire time, so I know exactly what you mean. It can be nerve-wracking.

    Hi DANA:
    I am so glad the sense of comfort has returned to your home. That is wonderful.
    Rivers and lilacs….it sounds like a song. What a lovely place you live in!

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  19. Selma, I can completely understand what you mean. In Glasgow, there is a pedestrian bridge across the Clyde that I used to go and walk across. On one side, you had these lawyer’s offices, and on the other side, there was an old church. I used to love looking at the lights of the church reflecting in the calm waters of the Clyde below.
    I actually tried to find it, and was very sorry to see what looks like a building site where the church used to be. Well, I haven’t been home in 6 years, so I could be wrong! It does seem sad that they took it down though!

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  20. Hi MANOJ:
    What a shame if they did tear it down. From the way you describe it, it sounds magical. I love scenes like that!

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