Lift and Bridge

“Praise the bridge that carried you over.” – George Colman

In seemingly small exchanges this week
A thread, a throughline, a bridge

Calling my health plan to ask questions about coverage
She patiently answered my questions
Kindly giving me guidance and direction
At the end of the call, I thanked her for the answers as well as for being in health care which can’t be easy with little gratitude from the masses who they unselfishly serve every day
She was surprised and I could hear the lift in her voice
A simple, genuine thank you shifted a job call into a calling few could sustain if they really knew the burden
Heroes
Lift

At a follow-up doctor’s appointment yesterday in the waiting room
Heads down
Two women started a conversation about how many shots they had in their eye and if it hurt
Retina war stories shared
One woman said, “you never know what’s going to happen in life and THANK God”
The other woman agreed with a big smile and said she was 99 years old
The other woman said she was 84
The simple exchange lifted down heads into smiling conversation and connection
The tone of the room shifted
Lift

When given news that my injured eye was good and I could start running and regular activity again, I was thrilled
Celebrating with a 4-mile run at the end of the day, passing a park, a family was watching their son fly a kite
Running with delight
Dancing with joy
Lift

Small exchanges, deep meaning, big impact
It doesn’t take much
A kind word, yielding in traffic, a conversation with a stranger, a smile, a thank you
This is the real stuff, day changers
May you be the giver and receiver of lift today
The bridge that invites, welcomes, unites
The instigator of love

“What I do is the opposite of building walls. I build bridges. A bridge is something that connects instead of separating.” – Santiago Calatrava