There used to be a Bridge...

Frank found himself with a couple extra hours on his hands yesterday. It had been somewhat of a mixed bag...some disappointments, some triumphs...not a bad day, but definitely not in the top ten for sure.

After finishing up with an on-site client, Frank went for a drive and found himself at what is now a state park in Montgomery County on State Highway 76. 29 years ago, it was a park he along with three others found themselves on a Sunday morning in mid-May, 1981.

May, 1981. Frank, part of two couples on the morning after their high school prom, found themselves at the park. The guys, still in their tuxedo pants, way-to-shiny rented shoes, and frilly shirts, were obviously less than comfortable. The ladies, on the other hand, somehow had managed to change from their prom dresses to something a little more casual. The two couples had managed to stay out all night, and as they drove the two-lane highway five or so miles from town, Frank remembered the light fog rising from the fields in the rural community of Port Royal, TN. As the couples walked down the steps to the covered bridge and crossed the river hand in hand, even yesterday, Frank remembered the lyrics of the song The Best of Times echoing in his head.

Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime. We'll take the best, forget the rest and someday we'll find these are the best of times...

The four spent some time in the park that morning, crossing the wooden covered bridge to the other side of the Red River. Initials were carved in the wooden beams of the bridge, promises were made. It was a time of euphoria...everything was perfect, the future was bright, the world was their's for the taking...they were all indestructible. The two guys were planning to enter the medical field, the ladies would finish up their high school education in the coming years.

At this time, the country was breaking in new leadership; a guy from California had won the election and had upset the sitting President from Georgia. The country had endured the taking, holding and release of American hostages at its embassy in Iran. The economy, for all intents and purposes, was in the tank. Frank remembered liking the new guy in the White House. He was somewhat of a cowboy, but he didn't seem afraid to take a stand, especially on foreign policy and with Congress.

'Cos I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time.

But, yesterday, as he stood on the banks of the Red River, he realized that 1981 may not have been the best of times. It seemed like it then, to four teenagers, two of them soon to leave the comfort of public education and grab the world by the tail, well, 'cause that's what they were destined to do. It seemed as though, as they crossed the bridge to the other side of the river, they were leaving the comfort of the known for the mystery of the future.

June, 2010 - Standing on the banks of the Red River, Frank looked out to where the covered bridge had once spanned the small river. All that remains are the stone supports. He could see the other side, but could not get there, not from where he stood. It seems the bridge was destroyed in 1998 by severe weather. Apparently, the powers that be decided it wasn't worth rebuilding.

Of the four present that morning, three have stayed in fairly close contact. Frank, discovered fairly early on that medicine was not the right path for him and ended up as a CPA; the other guy, well, he spent a stint in the Navy, and is now in upper management responsible for all physical plant, maintenance, renovation and construction at a major veteran's facility in Minnesota.

One of the young ladies, actually the date of Frank's friend, she and Frank ended up dating and were even engaged. The marriage didn't happen, but, they remain friends even today. She also became a CPA and, believe it or not, Frank and her will be working on a project together in the coming months to help victims of the recent flood. The other girl, Frank's companion that morning, well, they lost track of her after that summer. Don't really know what ever became of her.

As he stood there yesterday afternoon, looking at the remnant stone supports from his past, Frank realized now, many years later, that the euphoria he felt that morning was a feeling he sought for years to come. Over the next few years, he would find himself the victim of self-inflicted destructive behavior. Looking back, he asked himself, 'was he seeking to go back in time to those carefree days?' 'Seeking the over-confidence and carefree attitude of that morning?' 'Searching for the vast opportunities that lay before him that day, as he walked along from one side of that river to the other, on that wooden covered bridge?' The answer became all to clear yesterday afternoon.

Frank realized that during the five or so years to follow that Sunday morning in May, he was seeking to cross that bridge back to the other side. It was as though he was looking across the span to the cleanly-cut field on the other side, but with no way to get there. 1981 was only visible in his memory.

It became clear that even though that Sunday morning WAS a wonderful time, the best of times is actually the present. Frank has been successful, as have two of the other three. Frank realized, that even though it didn't seem right at the time, it WAS a good thing he didn't end up in the medical field. It WAS a good thing he and his buddy's date that morning so long ago didn't get married.

It IS a wonderful thing that he met and married Tammy, some five or so years later. It IS a wonderful thing that he has a loving wife and two beautiful daughters. It IS a wonderful thing that he has a wonderful support network of family and friends.

And someday we'll find these are the best of times....these are the best of times.