Being a Sandbar

Now that Halloween is over, winter is at our stoop and elections will change some of our life courses - I am going to be sharing some deeper thoughts that have been in my pockets for the last few weeks. It is a season of introspection and assessment.

This one comes from the Wisdom Ways conference that I was lucky enough to attend over the weekend. I was part of a small panel of presenters, but would have been honored to just participate in, as I learned things and took some home with me. One was the work of a Latino poet and essayist - Gloria Anzaldua - who died recently, but has a life of documented work dealing with social issues and challenging the systems as we know them.


The piece I am sharing speaks to how we participate in our lives and community at large. The common metaphors are either a bridge to connect or an island to isolate - depending on our lifestyle and if we choose to engage or not. Gloria presents another option to us. It seemed to bring a sense of balance which I can often miss - for those who know me well.

"Being a sandbar means getting a breather from being a perpetual bridge without having to withdraw completely. The high and low tides of you life are factors which help you to decide... you can somehow choose who you'll allow to 'see' your bridge, who'll you'll allow to walk on your 'bridge.'"