WRITING
I would consider writing being another interest of mine, however, never really to an extent of pursuing it as a career but rather as a hobby or for personal entertainment and leisure. I enjoy writing poetry, stories and giving pictures meaning with just a few simple words. My writing usually aims to provide images with a short story and allowing ambiguous associations to the image. i also use writing as a form of introspection, where i take time to sit back and reflect on experiences. writing also provides a form of release and escape.
Lynnwood Bridge Experiences (Short Story)
The Lynnwood pedestrian bridge has been a structure that will always be close to my heart. To me the bridge symbolizes hope and love. Through a personal experience at the bridge, I have witnessed that the most unexpected places can be the ones that end up meaning the most to you. This is the place I found love.
The story began where I met an effortlessly beautiful girl, Ms Mendonça. It was not only the beauty that captivated me, but the way she hopped as she walked, showing such happiness and love for life. She had this thing about her… she would always make comments on how beautiful life was and that everything around us is a source of inspiration. Her appreciation was simply intriguing. I found myself thinking, I want to know more, I want to experience more. I want more.
We conversed once after our first encounter, and from then I realized that she was not too interested, probably because she was holding back from previous experiences- an apprehensive attempt to protect herself. I had no intention of a derogatory approach, hoping that wasn’t the impression I made on her.
After not speaking and keeping my distance for about a week, she asked me if I was available. I hesitated, and eventually responded “Of course, I was hoping you’d ask.”
During our second encounter, she made it very clear that I was not allowed to fall for her and that we were simply friends. She kept telling me how much she appreciated my company more than others she had known for years, but falling for her would risk a radiant friendship. This wasn’t necessarily the best thing to hear, but just the simple way in which she said it made me want to hear it over and over.
She had this appreciation for my creativity, one which I had never experienced before. As the date came to an end, I asked her if I could see her again, but this time, I asked, sarcastically, “So, when is it your turn to take me on a date?”. To my surprise, she smirked and said nothing, but her eyes whispered, “soon”.
About a week later, I received a spontaneous message, saying that she was in the driveway of my house. This was the beginning of our third encounter.
She had planned to watch the sunset, but with her sincerest regrets, she apologized for her appalling sense of timing. We ended up sitting in a random park at night, conversing for hours and eating a cold pizza. The way her eyes lit up, spoke more clearly than her words, and I, once again, found myself puzzled at the complexity of the beauty in simplicity. The more she spoke, the more I wanted to listen.
As the night started to come to an end, she said she had one more thing to show me. I agreed, just hoping for more time with this beautiful soul.
She drove me to the bridge. This beautiful structure of inspiration left me in awe, but this time, my face ached with a smile of appreciation. This was her showing me that inspiration is around every corner.
She looked at me and began to speak of the fact that she’s afraid of falling and that she was a “live in the moment” type of girl. We argued for a few minutes, and after a while, I lost my patience and told her to stop talking. I looked at her and said “Live in the moment with me?”, I felt her smile as I kissed her, gently.
Yes, the story might be one of the cheesiest moments of my life, but the fact is, the bridge was the reason I fell so hard for the girl that showed me that there is more than what’s on the surface.
Today, the bridge is where I go for inspiration and for times to just think and appreciate life. When I see the bridge, I see the way she smiled at me that night and this upholds my new appreciation for life.
- based on a personal experience.