Bridges

I attended a graduation program tonight and one of the speakers talked about bridges.  For some reason that word stuck with me for the rest of the program.  I love bridges, they link one path to another usually over an obstacle that is impassable with out the bridge.  One of my favorite things to do is to stop in the middle of the bridge, not when driving of course, and view the obstacle from that point.  It helps me be grateful for the bridge and for the ability to continue on my journey.  Without the bridge I would have to make my own way over the obstacle.  The obstacle can be as small as a creek or as large as a channel of water, Deception Pass or the Golden Gate Bridges.  Dangerous ravines and raging rivers are easily covered by the aid of a bridge.

Must pause in my thought process for some information...

There are several different types of bridges: beam, cantilever, arch, suspension and cable-stayed.  Each one has it own purpose and is used for specific reason.  For example the use of suspension bridges offer the capacity to have longer spans and are said to better withstand earthquakes, while the arch bridge is the oldest and simplest bridge engineered. Bridges can be simple or complex, some can last a lifetime while others are destroyed by the elements that surround it.  All bridges are made to get us from one part of our path to another.  If a bridge is out we would have to either traverse the obstacle without the aid of the bridge or turn around and find a new path or wait for the bridge to be repaired.  Bridges make our journey easier.

Back to my thoughts during the meeting





As I sat there with bridges on my mind, the speaker went on talking to the graduates about how they are at a crossroad in their young lives and there are things that they can use to help "bridge" the gap between where they are now and where they want to be.   I started thinking about some of the "BRIDGES" in my life.

I would have to list family and friends as obvious bridges but I wanted to think of other bridges, bridges that might not be seen until you have crossed over it.  One of the bridges that first came to mind was the bridge of TRUST.  At times we encounter some obstacle in our relationships with others.  We are individuals, we do not think the same, feel the same or understand in the same way, at times this can cause a deep ravine or chasm in our relationships.  It is at this time that we need the BRIDGE OF TRUST, this bridge is build on a solid foundation of respect, love and commitment.  It seems to me that in this world it is the one bridge that could be destroyed by the elements that surround it.  I think that we live in a very selfish generation and to trust would mean that we need to be unselfish. Trust is something that is important in any type of relationship.  I want to make sure that I use this bridge in all my relationships.

The next bridge that I think needs to be built in ourselves is the LISTENING BRIDGE.  So often we want to hear what we want to hear that we misinterpret what the other person is saying.  We also don't listen because we want to make sure that we can get in our idea or thought.  One of the things that I want to work on this summer is building the listening bridge.  I am sue that I can do a much better job at listening first and then offer my idea or thought, if it is needed! 

Okay I know that I have taken this bridge analogy a bit far, my mind was working over time in the meeting - so I will just mention one more bridge that I have been building on throughout the last ten years, that is the BRIDGE OF HONESTY.  I think that honesty is one of the bridges that helps in all areas of our lives.  Honesty is a virtue that has been cast aside for convenient sake.  We tend to justify and rationalized situations in our life when need to cross the honesty bridge so that we can contiue moving forward on our journey in life.

Isaac Newton said "We build too many walls and not enough bridges."  

This summer I want to build bridges!