True Story Tuesday: The bridge

This story really begins when I was in England, and Forest asked when my days off of work were, because she was coming to visit me. I was elated, and I felt so cherished in that moment. It’s the best feeling in the world to know that you have friends who would cross oceans for you, and friendships that will survive years apart.

Of course when she told me she was coming I immediately thought that just seeing England wasn’t good enough, not for one of my friends. It was her first time out of the country and I wanted it to be spectacular. Forest is a huge fan of Disney, so I planned a trip for the two of us to Germany so that she could see the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s palace, Neuschwanstein.

We were so excited to see it, the pictures are always so gorgeous, and so when we arrived and the tour guide told us that there was a lookout from which most of those pictures were taken we knew we would have to go if time allowed. Thankfully it did, and we made our way up the hill a little ways away from the palace itself.

Although the lookout is a bridge, it’s used more as a platform. The trail continues on to the other side of the gorge but most people don’t use it as it takes you away from the palace. Just before the bridge there is a counter to let you know how many people are allowed on it, and a counter of the people currently there.

When we got to the bridge there were two, perhaps three other people. It had rained just before we got there, and mist hung grey in the air, dampening everything it touched. The waterfalls behind us thundered, and the river sang as it coursed between the mountains, ever silent and still like the castle, each rising proudly from the fog.

I could have spent ages there, listening to the water and the birds, and I will always remember the beauty of that moment, shared with my friend.

She took the most gorgeous photos, so if she’s willing to share I’ll post some here.

I had noticed though, that the bridge was not only slippery, but that the planks of wood had a lot of give. I will admit that I am not a small person, but I’m not so large that bridges should be bending under my weight. To my mind those planks were unsafe, so I stayed to the side where the iron sidings were, and put my weight on them instead.

We stood there for a good few minutes in the quiet until the rest of our tour group, along with several others, came up the hill. Forest wanted a few more pictures so I stayed with her while people passed us and took their own pause on the bridge. The more people came on, the more I wanted to put my weight onto the iron rather than the wood. When it was time to leave, I edged my way again along the side, this time a little bit more anxious because of all the extra people.

Some people had stopped on the other side of the bridge to get a photo of the falls, leaving me no choice but to go in the middle. I figured well, it can hold all of these people, maybe I’m overreacting.

That was when I felt the plank bend under me, and heard a voice shout “Well this isn’t very sturdy is it!?”

Here I must say that I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’ve been bungee jumping, I would love to go sky diving, I do love a good thrill, but I’m not one for doing it in an unsafe manner.

This person had decided that just as the bridge was reaching it’s full capacity would be an optimal time not only to start jumping on it, but also to block my only means of egress. Who they were shouting to I don’t know, though I wanted very badly to shout something back at them. My words would not have been pleasant, so I hurried past them and made my way off the bridge.

When Forest showed up I told her what happened. Where I give people exactly zero chances, Forest is the type to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. She let me bluster and vent, and told me that while this person had acted in an inconsiderate way, they hadn’t acted with malice. She was right, of course. I just needed a minute to be angry before calming down. For the record, I don’t wish that person any ill will. They had simply done something silly, without thinking about it. We all make such mistakes.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that incident lately, and I think it’s a really apt metaphor for the position we’re in while facing Covid, especially concerning masks and social distancing.

We’re all on a flimsy bridge. Some of us are staying still. Some of us are walking because we have no other choice. The bridge can handle that. Some of us though are jumping on it, and the bridge isn’t designed to be jumped on. Whether we jump because we’re bored, we think it’s our right to jump, we think that boards are indestructible or that boards breaking is a hoax, or even that because others are doing it we can do it too, the reason doesn’t really matter.

Screaming ‘this can’t happen to me!’ as the bridge collapses won’t save us.

Working together will.

Practice social distancing. Wear a mask in public. Wash your hands. Stay at home.

If you need any information follow these links to the World Health Organisation, the Center for Disease Control, the Canadian Federal Government or your own federal government, and your local health unit. You can also find information by listening to the interviews of or public addresses by Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Anthony Fauci.