The Bridge

The island of Bermuda boasts the smallest working drawbridge in the world.  A thick wood panel spans a seventeen-inch gap in the bridge that connects Somerset island in Sandy's Parish with the main island of Bermuda.*

 Whenever a yacht or sailboat wishes to pass through, someone must manually draw the bridge so the mast fits through. Although the original stone base of the bridge was built in 1620, much of the original, including the wooden part, was renovated in the twentieth century to the bridge you see in these photos.

Something so small can serve a practical, functional purpose. It does not have to be the biggest or the best to display its unique place in the community and the world.
So, too, with us. We serve our own unique purpose where we are and make a remarkable significant mark, perhaps as a bridge or passage for others.
As Marianne Williamson explains, we must be our "brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous" selves. Our playing small may not serve the world but being small just may be the best way we serve ourselves and the world. ** 
 
In other words, just being you is a remarkable, significant contribution to the world.
 
 


* Despite conflicting internet reports, the sign on the actual bridge states its width as 17 inches.
** Although it is often  attributed only  to Nelson Mandela's inaugural speech in 1994, the famous quote attributes to Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3]).
Photos by Nicole D. Mignone