Humans, by nature, are a social species. We rely on others for so much in our everyday lives; but all too often, we take that for granted. When we get overloaded with responsibilities and to-do lists, we may feel obligated to do everything ourselves, without expecting help. If that goes on too long, we start to take pride in being so tough we don’t need anything from others. That’s when a major shift in perspective is needed.
A suspension bridge is a masterpiece of engineering—a complex arrangement of trusses, cables, and towers, all perfectly aligned. But if we’re preoccupied with the traffic and our errands, we might not even notice what’s holding us safely above the water. As for the city in the distance and the world beyond, we rely on them to supply all our needs. In the modern age, our food, water, shelter, and clothing all come through the work of others. Being tough and self-sufficient is just a story we tell ourselves! We’d do much better to consider all the ways we are supported as we go through life, and to cultivate gratitude for them.
Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.
Enjoyed the comparison with the suspension bridge
Thanks Carolyn — glad you liked it!
Great minds again. I wrote about bridges Tuesday. Suspension bridges are both marvel and metaphor indeed <3
Hopping over to your site now to take a look…
Very nice comparison — had not thought of the similarities. Thank you for linking to Nurturing Thursday. Appreciate your time in contributing. 🙂
It’s time well spent! 🙂
Hi Meg, Great post, I agree we need each other, Nurturing Thursday is an exemple, we are inspiring each other. Our group is great! But in the real world it’s getting each day more difficult to make and keep true friends, everybody is so busy, and lots of competition for everything, we never know if we can trust someone, if when we need the support, the bridge, someone will be there for us.
I agree that not knowing who will be there when we need help makes people feel stressed in today’s world. Our ancestors in tiny farming villages always knew they could count on their neighbors for help when they needed it. Of course, the neighbors couldn’t do much about bad weather that ruined everybody’s harvest, a raiding party attacking the village, a plague or other epidemic… but people felt more secure, even though their lives were in fact much more precarious than ours.
That would make an interesting topic for next week’s post. 🙂 It’s great how our group inspires so many ideas!
Interesting comparison, Meg. Woman tend to want to do it all. This is a post many woman should read.
Nice post ….
Thanks. 🙂 It took me a long time to realize I didn’t need to stress myself out like that!
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Meg, you are right. We don’t take enough time to breathe, look around us, and acknowledge the support we are given. It is so important to express gratitude for all we are blessed with. Thank you for the reminder!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Grace, and thanks for commenting!