The Bridge
“You are also the space between.”
A bridge is not the land.
It does not belong to either side.
It exists in tension, suspended over uncertainty, held up by forces that pull in opposite directions.
And yet without it, there is no crossing.
We think identity is about choosing sides.
This or that.
Past or future.
Logic or feeling.
But some of us are bridges.
We connect worlds that do not easily understand each other.
We hold conversations others avoid.
We translate silence into meaning.
It is not easy work.
A bridge carries weight that does not belong to it.
Cars, footsteps, storms, expectations.
It must remain steady while everything else moves across it.
If it collapses, both sides blame the gap.
Rarely do they thank the structure that held them together.
Being a bridge means living in between.
Not fully here.
Not fully there.
It means being misunderstood by both ends at times.
Too soft for one side. Too firm for the other.
Too emotional. Too rational. Too much. Too little.
But here is the quiet power:
A bridge does not argue with the river.
It does not try to become the shore.
It knows its role is connection.
It knows that tension is not failure.
It is design.
You may not feel rooted when you are the bridge.
But you are essential.
You allow passage.
You create possibility.
You make movement safe.
And sometimes the most important part of who you are
is not the ground you stand on,
but the distance you help others cross.
Where in your life are you being asked to stand in the middle, and are you seeing it as burden or as purpose?
This has me thinking of the Great A'Tuin from Terry Pratchett...
A ginormous turtle swimming through space, on its back stand 4 massive elephants who support the weight of the Discworld
Technically still a bridge but on a larger scale, the vastness of space vs a body of water, nothing to anchor it as it crosses the vast potential of uncertainty that is Space
Everyone is capable of being a bridge but not everyone recognizes it, even though technically we are all striving for it via the plethora of self help and spiritual "guide" books.... Technically the bridge is the balancing point of self as much as with others
Personally I hate it... Wouldn't be so bad if more stepped into the awareness of being a bridge but when global society is out of balance, it forces others to go to extremes in order to compensate
A purpose can still be a burden if there is no balance, no harmony ... This AND that can be true
Be it a tiny blade of grass acting as a bridge for an ant or the Great A'Tuin or anywhere in between... Being a bridge to one degree or another comes with a cost that can cause a lot of unnecessary sufferance but can also be a blessing and point of extreme fulfilment or anywhere in between depending on the variables at play
For me, seeing myself in this... It hurts, it's just a lot of empty space and carrying the collective as they go about their lives but never having my needs met, let alone my needs being considered
Which I recognize within the collective and the modern human experience/condition
I keep plodding along, doing what is needed as I can... I know others are stepping up all over the world but it's still so heavily out of balance and I worry for those who'll effectively have to speed run their awareness in order to help create the balance that is sorely lacking in global humanity
Because that's what 2025 was and what 2026 will be... Stripping away the illusions and speed running through the various missions and side quests to get to that sweet spot in the film Ready Player One... Unity against a common cause
But it's lonely and a burden... Until such a point as it's not