@usernamedshani

“they call(ed) her wild; her mind searched too far, her eyes too wide.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - #writersofinstagram #nyc #toronto (at Long Beach, New York)

“her fingers long, outstretched for places unseen, grasped at things outside of her reach. But she would remain un-leashed.” - - - - - - - - - - - #writersofinstagram #postoftheday #photooftheday #melanin (at Long Island, New York)

There was this small river when I was a little girl. It was small enough for me and my tiny little legs to almost jump across. Almost. I can remember, on occasion, getting caught in the mud in my futile attempts to get to the other side. The silliest thing was….there was a bridge. The little river was so long that the town had built little bridges every few hundred feet or so, so that people could cross. I could have easily taken the bridge, but stubborn and free spirited little me always wanted to assess my river-crossing-challenge to see if there were a way to circumvent the use of the bridge.…But for me, there wasn’t. So I ignored the bridge anyway. I ignored the thing put in place to make my way much more simple. Ignored the access that had been put in place to grant me a safe journey to the other side… Sometimes we are so focused on our self-made challenges that we often lose sight of the bridges hat have been put in place as simple solutions. (Excerpts from “Bridges”) - - - - - - #photooftheday #writersofinstagram #architecture #toronto (at 1000 Islands Gananoque)

Judge not.

I can remember having an early obsession with bridges; the way they are never completely the same but all serve the same basic function, never ceases to fascinate me. I can remember my favourite bridge when I was a little girl; this rickety, wooden bridge that was short in length, had a high and awkward curve, but was also, thankfully, extremely sturdy. It linked two parts of my town over some old creepy train tracks. I fell in love with the feeling of weightless anxiousness that would grip me from the moment my feet, or wheels, left one side of safety to the moment I was firmly and safely planted on the other. I have a visceral respect for bridges. I’ll tell you why. My favourite bridge has since been torn down, another more modern, larger, longer, fancier bridge built in its place. BUT THE PURPOSE REMAINS THE SAME; to connect two things… We need bridges. Without them it would be difficult, and in some cases impossible, to connect..... And sometimes, even when a bridge disappears or is inadvertently burned down, another may appear in its place with the same function although it may appear different. - - - - Excerpts from “Bridges” - #architecture #photooftheday #bridges #newyork #writersofinstagram (at George Washington Bridge)

30.5 💃🏾 • issa journey

|Black| Woman • sets her own boundaries • sets her own bar • sets her own definitive markers • #linkinbio

Whatever broke you. Whatever caused you pain. Whatever brought you sadness. Let it go. Don’t keep it. - - - - - - - - - - - #photooftheday #writersofinstagram #wordsofwisdom #toronto (at Toronto, Ontario)

I used to drink a can of coke every day… actually. It was my “thing” because I didn’t know better and I’m a creature of habit. I was younger - more brash - more ignorant - less free. ... But things #change. People #change. Preferences #change. WE #change. The things that were so central to who we were, become mere afterthoughts. … single threads in the complex web of our existence. Through knowledge gained we learn to make better decisions. So I don’t drink coke anymore. I turn to less simpleminded addictions. 🤷🏾‍♀️ ... You are not your past. You are allowed to grow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - #photooftheday #toronto #travelblogger #writersofinstagram #photography #architecture #architecturephotography (at Toronto, Ontario)

And let no one tell you otherwise. - - - - - - - - - #toronto #writersofinstagram #wordsofwisdom #forgiveness #letitgo (at Toronto, Ontario)

#protectyourpeace