The Skyway Bridge is a majestic connection between two counties near where I live.  It is constructed of steel and concrete and spans 4.1 miles over the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a popular spot for automobile commercials and even movies because of its location and design. This beautiful structure is rated by the Travel Channel as one of the top ten bridges in the world.

How fantastic is it that I get to travel this bridge at least twice daily five days per week to get to work?   Well, like most things, I didn’t appreciate it very much until I was in a situation that made me really think about it.

One morning as I was driving over the bridge during my usual commute, I felt the car start to jerk and bounce.   I remember thinking to myself, “No, not here!”  I had a flat tire.  It happened in the worst place on the bridge that it could have  happened.  I had to pull over at the top peak of this very tall,  long-spanned, narrow-lane structure. 

I crammed my car into a very small and awkward breakdown lane.  I hoped it would not be long before a tow truck or a police car came to help me, but there I sat for two long hours on the top of the bridge span.

If you have never sat dead still at the top of a high bridge you may not realize that it constantly sways and shakes.  With each passing car, I could feel the movement of the bridge.  I thought at times that my car was idling because the movement was continuous.   Although beautiful, I had no desire to be there.  My life felt like it was in idle, too.

Getting a phone signal while sitting above the Gulf of Mexico was nearly impossible.  Over and over I dialed roadside assistance only to get through for a couple of seconds, long enough to tell the assistant “there is no nearest cross-road here!  I’m stuck on the top of a bridge!”  I couldn’t tell if they had figured out where I was or not.  Thankfully, I was able to text a co-worker so I knew at some point help would come.  I just did not know when.  Traffic started to get heavier as the minutes passed.

As the bridge shook and the cars streamed through, I noticed for the first time the beauty that surrounded me.  I was looking out at miles of the Gulf, so high in the air I felt like I could touch the sky.  I realized that I had taken this commute for granted all these years. Although I’ve always loved the ride over the bridge, I never saw it quite in this light before. Usually, it was just part of my daily route, part of the usual and mundane,  but now it seemed quite magnificent.

That morning, while sitting on top of the high swaying bridge waiting for help, I asked myself a question.

Why haven’t I noticed all this beauty before?

More questions followed.

Do I notice my kids, their laughter, the way they hug me before they go to sleep at night?  Do I recognize my husband’s love, the sacrifices he’s made for our family?  Do I recall the reason I made the friendship with my neighbor, or why I choose to volunteer?  Do I appreciate the roof I have over my head?

The experience on the bridge taught me many things about life and about myself.  Being an appreciative person does not always come naturally; but, when you are forced into a situation when you need to reflect, you can often see the many things you take for granted.

When I started taking a martial art  26 years ago, I had no appreciation for it.  I thought of it as an activity, not an art.  I was not in shape.  It was demanding.  My first classes were like learning a new language.  Sensei counted and commanded in Korean.  Everything was complex to me and I didn’t see how it would ever relate to my life. For years, the learning was interesting, but somewhat mechanical and repetitive. I could stick a kick; block and punch; memorize a one-step routine with a partner. To say I was a martial artist was a stretch.  I was a student, a learner, and far from understanding what the “art” part of the martial art was.

But, just as a new language finds a rhythm, I eventually found my own pace, my own passion for what I was learning.  One day, after years of training and testing, I finally recognized the impact martial arts had made in my life.  I was confident, happy, strong, and focused.  Like the green color of my eyes and the way I smile, it became a part of me that can never be changed.

Call it fate, but I believe the flat tire on the bridge was no accident the same way I believe learning and practicing karate was always a part of my destiny.  Both, in very different ways, forced me to learn some lessons about myself and about appreciation.

When the tow truck finally came, it was accompanied by a couple of police cars to help control any traffic problems while the tire was changed on this narrow plank way.  The lights on the police cruisers flashed to let other cars know I’d be pulling out of the breakdown lane.  For me the flashing lights were a signal that I had accomplished what I was meant to do.  As I started on my way back onto the bridge, I had a  new chance, a new beginning and a new perspective.  Somehow, something as frustrating and uncomfortable as a flat tire at the top of a bridge ended up being a positive experience.

Life, my friends, is a majestic bridge, isn’t it?  You travel it every day, sometimes on an upward climb, other times at leisure.  You start at the beginning but have no idea what may happen in the middle as you drive over, or how you will make it to the other side. Sometimes, you even get stuck.

As you pass through the years of your lives, you may have to change many flat tires, inflate broken dreams, and endure hardships.  It is not until you are stuck somewhere on life’s majestic bridge that you realize its significance.  The lanes may appear narrow, but there is always a place to pull over if you need.  There are always choices to make and situations on which to reflect  before you continue the journey.

It is so important to every now and again reflect on the small things for which you are grateful.  Pick something simple like the way the wind feels on your face when you are at the beach.  The taste of a sweet apple.  The morning sun and the evening stars. A crisp gi that sits on your shoulders.

What has happened in your life that has forced you to appreciate something?  Maybe losing your job has helped you to appreciate the ability to earn money.  Maybe  illness has overwhelmed you but now you understand how great it is to be healthy.  Maybe you recently lost a loved one and you wish you could tell them again how much you love them.  Instead of waiting for an life event to bring you back to appreciation, why not look for it first?  That way, if you are stuck at the top of the bridge, you don’t need to worry.  Help will arrive quickly and fix you up and push you over to the other side with little time and effort.

Today, when I travel over the Skyway Bridge, I see it for what it is.   Its yellow beams are like the prongs of a king’s crown that reach into the sky.  When I look out the window while driving, I see a deep, rich blue sky above and its sparkling reflection below in the Gulf of Mexico.

As for karate, I never realized until later in my training that it would become such an intimate part of who I am.  I achieved a second degree black belt in 1997.  I decided then I wanted to show others the importance of self-discipline and focus and promote a martial arts mindset.

I still strive every day to to exemplify a black belt way of life and teach others how to live that way, too.  I learned, while stuck on the top of a majestic bridge in the middle of my majestic life, that there is only one right way to cross the bridge, and that is with the right amount of appreciation.

Andrea