Day # 111 - Bridge Burning

Harvey Mackay says, "If you burn your bridges, you'd better be a damn good swimmer."

I think of all the bridges I've burned in my life. Of course, like most fires, the ones that burn bridges are often caused by carelessness. It's not always done on purpose. Sometimes I have burned bridges because they were structurally unsafe. Other times I burned them because I was acting on emotion rather than intellect.

Not long ago, when I was chair of the chamber of commerce, there were people, part of the old guard, who saw fit to attack me for any decision I made that they did not agree with. They went so far as to sabotage me. Some of these were well-known and (in some circles) well-respected members of the community. Would I have preferred to keep them on my side? Sure, but at what cost? I am not willing to bow to anyone but God.

I have regretted some of my bridge burnings. I have tried to repair some of them, and it has sometimes worked. Other times, the damage is too great and there's no way across the river. So I have lost friends or contacts.

The lesson is that sometimes we will make the mistake of burning a bridge. For the most part, if we are not malicious, if we are sincere in our effort to mend the bridge, we can find our way back. Other times, we may want to burn the bridge (with certain people tied to it.) I would suggest letting the relationship atrophy instead. You are losing a friend or acquaintance or contact but that doesn't mean you need to gain an enemy.

So cross that bridge when you get to it and leave it intact if you can. You never know when you need to get back across.

God bless you. Make it your best day yet.

- Adolfo

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