Building Bridges and Planting Seeds
A new day brings new opportunities
Building Bridges and Planting Seeds was a part of the June 3-6, 2024 “Thinking ‘bout THR Newsletter.” I’ve been asked to make it a separate blog post by someone who wanted to be able to share it.
Every sunrise fills me with hope. A new day is a new beginning, and I sit in awe as the day comes to life. I love seeing the sky lit up with vivid hues, the sun's rays lighting the treetops, and the birds breaking out in a chorus of joy.
This AI-generated image has a lot of symbolism for me. It shows a rising sun illuminating a field of sunflowers. The field is divided by a river. Sunflowers are reflecting on the water. There is a bridge with a railing arching over the river.
The sunflowers represent all of us. Each has traits that make us unique individuals, yet we all have something in common.
Like humans sometimes do, these sunflowers are making a potential mistake. They should be facing the rising sun. We don’t know the specific cause of the possible mistake we’re seeing. It could be bias, misinformation, or personal beliefs. Perhaps the flowers are curious enough to explore something new, to #MakeNewMistakes as Joe Gitchell would tell us.
I could have filled the field with any kind of plant, but the sunflower holds special meaning to me. The dance it participates in during the summer, following the sun from east to west and back again, reminds me of the tribalism that humans instinctively participate in. The switching to facing only east in the fall reminds me of how we can dig in and refuse to budge.
Sunflowers are also the universal symbol for people like me—people with hidden disabilities. They provide us with a way to let others know we may need support without making a public announcement of our labels. Some consider our disabilities challenges that make our lives more difficult. I think all humans have challenges that make their lives more difficult, even if they don’t possess an official label.
The sunflowers standing together and embracing their differences make them a sight to behold. Each plant holding up other plants provides a strength they would never know if they stood alone.
Sunflowers produce many seeds, which provide us with nourishment. I think of seeds as thoughts. Without new thoughts, our brains will starve to death. By sharing our thoughts, we are planting seeds, seeds that can lead us to a brighter future. But those seeds can’t grow unless we allow them to root in our fields, that space between our ears!
The river symbolizes the things that divide us, but it also provides a way for us to see each other. We get to choose what the river will be—the divider or the reflector. One blinds us, one opens our eyes. And while it may be easier to choose to be blinded to the thoughts of others, we cheat ourselves of the treasures that others have to share with us. I invite all of us to look into the water and see the person whose reflection is waiting to be discovered.
The arch in the bridge represents the work it takes to climb to a higher point in life that gives us the best view of our surroundings and the people in it. The stones the bridge is built with have been around for a long time, just as some of our beliefs have been. And while those stones provide a solid foundation, even stones change with the passage of time.
The stones in this image also remind me of the importance of not being the person who throws stones when discussing controversial subjects.
The railing makes it safe to cross the bridge. It reminds me of the name of my Substack, “Skip’s Corner: A safe place to talk about hard things.” I hope all of us find a way to make it safe for others to talk about topics that we may differ on. A variety of perspectives truly is the spice of life.
A sunrise denotes a new day—a fresh start, an opportunity to do better than yesterday. No matter what our differences have been in the past, today is a new opportunity to strike up a conversation, explore what we have in common, and put our heads together to find solutions.
I look forward to greeting this day with all of you, and I’m excited for the opportunity to once again welcome your thoughts and share mine. Together, we can make a difference.
Are you ready to build bridges and plant seeds with me?
Hello 👊 sounds like a great day is starting. The birds and flowers around here are quiet at the moment.
As we in the Northwest were dumped on yesterday. We went through a bout of hail, then torrential down pour with lightning 🌩 and thunder, back to heavy hail, and yes more torrential rain just as we need it. Already had 3 big forrest fires already so hopefully that will help. So our flowers and the birds are probably trying to dry out a bit.
GFN24 to me at least seemed more open to those bridges this year. So seems like a positive step, howeve, I feel many will be holding tightly onto those handrails as those approach the bridge. Meanwhile their buddies in the background are saying don't do it. How can we trust that the bridge will hold.
Skeptical and doom sayers will resist the forward progress. Nonetheless it did seem much more optimistic to me.
Be Positive n #Bekind
Life only moves 1 day at a time 🤘😁😇
Rawg......