This bridge is magic.
It’s somehow fixed in London as it crosses the brooding Thames, yet transports me to when I lived in New York City and caught the Metro to Manhattan from Bushwick, whilst at the same time immediately centres me in Roma and the sound of Metro Line A as it emerges from underground to cross the Tiber.
Life is all about experiences, those moments that transcend space and time. This bridge literally transports people (and a fair few dogs) from one side of the river to the other, but it also transports me to places that are distant and removed - that which lives in my memories of experiences.
Bridges share significance in many cultures, often representing peace made between once warring communities, or attached great symbolism of future prosperity when connecting two places seeking greater communication or commercial viability. We also use the language of bridges when we articulate concepts like "bridge-building", or incorporeal themes of a bridge or connection to a life that is beyond the now.
Bridges are clearly crossing points for the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual too.
In our episode of the Worldly Wellbeing podcast with Whitney Haldeman, aka Blonde Atlas, we talk about the significance of travel not only for Whitney professionally, but also the impact that it has had on us as individuals - focussing in on the value of experience over the desire to collect stamps in a passport or get that coveted Instagram picture before briskly moving on to the next.
We can also create those experiences in our everyday actions, not just by travelling to some far-flung destination - and it is in these restricted times that this becomes even more valuable.
How might you create experiences to cherish today?
My magic bridge is something to enjoy; the cold air grounding me physically, the memories centring me beyond that which can be touched, or smelt, or seen. Sometimes we just need to find a crossing point, one that enables us to make the journey, to create an experience, to cherish a moment.