The Bridge
The man’s panic could be felt all the way from the top of the bridge as the water below engulfed his car. He was frantically clawing at the door, banging on the window, and trying to free himself from his mortal mistake.
I never saw the car go in, but it was sinking fast. Regardless, I had to make the choice between panic, rescue, or observation.
Strangely, I chose observation.
Within a split second of my choice, I could feel the warmth of the sun resting upon my skin. I could feel the wind in the willow trees as their long branches swayed back and forth caressing the soft grass resting upon their roots. Then, I could feel the car itself as the cold water embraced it like a rare fish returning to sea.
As horrific as it should have been, the experience brought my mind to a single sensation. Feeling. My environment wasn’t just a collection of images, it was everything at once, etherically bonded by an invisible force.
While the euphoria of my newly gained “360 vision” took hold, so did my instincts as the pounding upon the driver’s side window returned. With urgency, I ran across the algae-covered bridge towards the sinking car. I could feel the lactic acid in my muscles begin to burn as I scaled the bridge’s slippery frame while moving closer towards the inevitable tragedy. As I looked down at the water, I noticed it was covered with thick vegetation that disappeared into the blackened muck. Instantly I felt uneasy, as I imagined my bare feet touching the unknown, and the unknown touching back.
Moving towards the desperate man (knowing I would never make it in time), the connection to my surroundings returned. But this time, it wasn’t just with the environment, it was now combined with the man himself.
I was no longer just watching him panic in the car as a separate entity. No, now I had become an extension of him. With that extension, the oddest of feelings accompanied me. Peace. A peace so beautiful, I may never find the words to describe it. And with that boundless peace (as if spoken in the tone of my very own voice) came a single message.
“It’s okay to die, I am here to continue your journey with this body. You are immortal.”
REFLECTION
They say we are all connected to each other, but to feel it, especially in a fleeting moment such as this, is beyond anything words could accomplish on their own. I know we live in a life of separation from each other, but there is no mistaking that our lives are shared from the same Source.
As I awoke from this experience, I felt instant relief partnered with the most important phrase I have learned in this lifetime.
Without the water there are no islands. Without the water, we are all a part of each other.
I find it almost ironic looking back at both the experience and this phrase. For to learn something is one thing, but to experience it as a bridge into our very own truth, is surely another…
