I love this old bridge. It is a wonderful engineering creation that also embraces the local stone in a way that harmonises with our scenery in England. It is no longer used as a road bridge, a newer and wider bridge having been built to take more traffic on the busy road.
In my mind the bridge made me think of two particular things.
The first, that it is a focal point for the river crossing – it spans the River Severn much higher up, and nearer the source, than where I live. The Severn is the longest river in Britain, so as it wanders it way south it provides a supply of water for many people for their daily needs. It also supplies farms for irrigation, and businesses for their processes. It is also used and enjoyed for recreation be it rowing, canoeing, fishing, painting, surfing – yes, you did read that last activity correctly.
It does have many crossing points, and if one can think back to the time when this bridge was built, it would have been a real focal point for traffic of all types. When there is a focal point it can become a meeting place too, so often there is an inn or some coaching house nearby. One can imaging the horse drawn carts, stage coaches, flocks of sheep, cattle and much more crossing the bridge in the early days of its’ life. I am sure that cattle and sheep still cross by the newer bridge, it is just that they will be in truck and barely visible.
It was the focal point that caught my imagination.
The second thought was the metaphor of a crossing, or transition from one side to another – or where my mind was going, to a new opportunity or pioneering into the unknown. There are always new things to explore, new things to develop and new challenges to enjoy rather than endure…..if we allow our minds the space to open up.
So a simple question or three:
- What is your ‘focal point’ for where you have reached as you read this?
- Have you a ‘bridge’ to cross that will open up new opportunities?
- Are you a pioneer and prepared to take action to make your journey from the ‘old side’ to the ‘new side’?
