I Like Bricks

I Like Bricks.

I like bricks. Bricks are solid, firm. I like the dark red kind, like you find on old houses. Smooth on the outside, no falsely applied ridges or perfect edges like new ones. They make me think of foundations and walls. Solidity, a past period of time, something to get hold of and hold on to. I built a lovely brick patio some little distance from my house, not far, as my yard is not big. When completed, it seemed to be floating out in the centre of the garden all by itself, not really join or connected to anything…a solid mass in a sea of green; beautiful in its symmetry but lonely somehow. So off to find more bricks, and a curvy little pathway found it way from my porch to the patio. I sat on the steps and my eyes followed the walk, saw the joining of the patio to my home, and I felt better. How like old bricks are our lives, seemingly solid and firm, smooth on the outside, but soft and crumbly within. The colour of dried blood and broken clay pots, faded on the outside from the wind and sun and rain, but still the fresh dark wound colour of the original on the inside.

We build our foundation and walls brick by brick, layer by layer, using a mortar mix of our own creation. One part memory, one part denial, one part tears, two parts love and curiosity, and a last part “I must go on”. Our walls grow, one piece at a time, as we collect experiences of joy and sorrow. We may toss those building bricks aside, not enough time, or no need in the moment. But eventually, they get used up as we fortify ourselves against perceived harms and indiscretions.

Become a mason, but choose to build a path instead of a wall. Recycle that life built slowly through the years and lay down a walkway to a new base. Where your footsteps fall will be a little chipped, a bit cracked to expose the ingredients, broken open displaying your weres and should haves and didn’ts. That new path will carry your weight and support you in a new way of living, linked with the past, but moving out and away to your new tomorrow. Taker down the walls one brick at a time if need be, and construct a path. And be on your way.

Blog Post by: Cynthia Scratch, Registered Psychologist