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Conquering my fears, one bridge at a time.....

 I have been busy, busy, busy this entire month, moving three kids back to their respective “happy places.”

One kid at a time.
One state at a time.
One loaded car at a time.

On the way back home, I couldn't help but wonder:

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, whose “clever” idea was it to put us together on planet Earth?

Just some food for thought from ME .

My firstborn is a male child. 😄 And over the past couple of months, I have spent quite a bit of time in the car with him.

Sometimes he asked me to tag along while he was interviewing for jobs because I was free, and sometimes we were out there trying to figure out apartments, logistics, and all the other little things that come with moving to a new place.

And somewhere between all those drives, I came to one important realization:

Men will be men.

Especially when it comes to certain things.

They say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

But…

There is always a BUT.

Take driving, for example.

One time, my son asked me to drive across a very tall bridge, fully knowing that I am terrified of heights and high bridges.

His advice?

“Don't look sideways. Just focus on what's in front of you.” 🙃



Easier said than done, son!

Somehow, I gathered enough courage to make it across.

The moment I got off that bridge, I pulled over at the first opportunity. My legs were shaking, my heart was pounding, and I honestly felt like I was about to pass out.

I survived.

Barely.

Fast-forward to this trip.

It happened again.

My son was driving his own car, my husband was busy yapping away on the phone, and somehow the two of them decided that I should drive across that same bridge.

Except this time, my brain already knew exactly what was waiting for me.

The minute I saw the bridge, I had a full-blown panic attack.

My heart was racing.
My legs were trembling.
Every cell in my body was screaming:

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?”

My brain was telling me to stop.

But I kept driving.

I can't even describe what was going through my mind. In my head, I had already driven off that bridge and was sitting at the bottom of the James River.

Yes, my imagination went there.

But I kept driving.

Because I had a car full of my son's belongings, and somehow I had to get them across the state.

So I did what moms apparently do best.

I kept going, even when I was scared.

I made it across what felt like a roller coaster ride in the sky and pulled over at the first possible place, ready to throw up.

On the way back, my husband drove.

And guess what?

As we passed that same bridge, just looking at it made my legs tremble all over again.

So, there goes my confidence about driving by myself to visit my firstborn. 😬

Apparently, this infamous roller-coaster bridge rises about 145 feet above the James River.


These are the photos I took from the passenger side.

If you want to see the aerial view, here is a link,
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrEbWJi_5ZqRAIAqrdXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-?p=895+s+pocohontas+parkway+bridge+images+near+richmond+va&fr2=piv-web&type=E210US1641G92088&fr=mcafee&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpocahontas895.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F09%2FPocahontas_Parkway_10-1024x683.jpg

No wonder my brain was having a meltdown!

Somewhere in all this chaos—driving, moving, unpacking, repacking, worrying, and doing things that scare me—I discovered something else.

I am capable of handling a whole lot more than I give myself credit for.

Maybe that's what motherhood does to you.

You don't always feel brave.

You don't always feel prepared.

Sometimes you're terrified, exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering how you're going to get through the next five minutes.

And yet…

You do it.

You keep going.

You cross the bridge.

And when you finally reach the other side, you realize you were stronger than you thought you were.

At the end of the day, it's all good.

I am a strong woman.

I am a mom.

And apparently, I can even conquer a terrifying bridge…

once or twice.

Funny?

Yes.

But not funny.

Not even a little bit.

That was my weekend.

And honestly, my legs are shaking just writing about it and looking at the photos I took from the passenger seat.

So, tell me…

Anyone else in the same boat? Are you scared of heights, bridges, or anything else that makes your brain immediately say, “Absolutely NOT”?

This was my weekend.

How was yours?

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