The Other Side

Looking across at the other side. On the heels of the historic Brexit vote, I'm looking for pictures that will illustrate looking across at other things, places or people. I have no idea how the vote will ultimately affect Britain or the European Union, but it reminds me of the vote for secession taken by the Confederate states before the beginning of the Civil War in the United States more than 150 years ago. Of course Brexit is different in so many ways, but there is a similarity there that worries me.

People will be celebrating or will be aghast at the results
of this election. But the election is over. Now everyone
will need to learn how to work within the new mandate. 

An on-line friend posted this yesterday and I just had to pass it on. What does this have to do with looking at the other side? Well ... I'm older, and I can look back at my life from the far side now. Over my lifetime I've made 100's of friends, but those whom I label as my true friends are few and are cherished. Maybe that's my correlation with my subject today. I gazed across the valley of my life at a mass of people I've met and interacted with over the years, but just a few had moved from the milling crowd into the open center. Here they stand as people whose welfare crosses my mind often and as those with whom I would choose to share experiences any time.

Real friends are those who are with you through
thick and thin over time. I'm fortunate with
my friends - we have staying power. 

In ancient times before we had instant communication and air transport, entering an unknown valley was dangerous. What would the new valley hold? Were there people? Would they be friendly? Maybe there were fierce animals and any people living there would rather kill you than share a meal. You wouldn't know unless you took the bold step of walking away from the familiar and entering the unknown. As children we do that often - it's how kids learn. Most of us lose that sense of exploration and adventure as we grow older and more "responsible".

Looking across at the other side of the valley could be frightening.
What would we encounter as we passed through toward the
mountains ahead? Yet, as people, we have passed through these
valleys throughout our history in a quest to discover and
to understand the world around us. 

So as the world enters a new phase, the people within it will cross a new bridge and discover what lies on the other side. The days to come will be filled with new experiences and lots of rhetoric, but it's a year of change for everyone and we'll all have to cross this bridge. Britain made their feelings known with yesterday's vote and the USA Presidential election will take place in November. Both events will change the world as we know it. Here's hoping we all look back on these events in later years with a smile because we're crossing that bridge whether we want to or not.

Crossing a bridge is an act of faith in some ways. You hope
that you'll have positive experiences on the other side of
the bridge, and you cross a chasm or boundary of water to
get there. 

Here's hoping your week has gone well and will continue to do so. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully a bit less pensively. Happy Friday!