Round and About
There was once a bridge. It was long and narrow. It spanned a creek, and as it was only a suspension footbridge without a handrail of any kind, it called for excellent balance from any who crossed by it. You could find it between Leaning Lena and Written Rock on the Clear Creek Road south of Lancaster, Ohio. The bridge swung between the traffic and bustle of everyday life and the peace of the woods with a grotto at the bottom of a hill. A wide overhang of sandstone sheltered a dry sandy floor; rocks of different shapes and sizes begged to be climbed; and water fell into a streamlet where polliwogs turned into frogs. Above them, higher up among the rocks, dung beetles made their food from what the world calls muck. Sun shone, clouds came, and rain and snow. The magic of the grotto never ceased.
I do not remember seeing or crossing the bridge, although it was still in use when I was three years old and maybe a year or so later. Perhaps it intrigues me because I often need to try to balance on a swaying bridge between my life as it appears in the physical world and the life which flourishes in my imagination. In any case, that bridge led to the property my parents bought, which they called Green Mansions. For me—even when I moved to Australia—that piece of land was my special place. The grotto, or cave as we called it, was for me its centre.
I left the United States at twenty-four and have always visited Green Mansions whenever I was able to return. As well I learned to think myself back into the hills and rocks of this place which I loved, whenever I needed them.
Now that more than two-thirds of my life has been spent in Australia, and I have been transplanted over and over again—living in various parts of the States, Switzerland briefly, and different areas in NSW, including the ACT—I cherish many places. Green Mansions will always be special. But I have enjoyed sunrises, sunsets, trees, stars, clouds, and beautiful views everywhere—and wonderful people. These days it is not so much the places but the people that are important to me. I miss deeply the ones who are too far away to visit and rejoice in the ones with whom I can spend time.