When Chris and I were on the road, we spent a lot of time exploring the beauty of Utah. Almost by accident, we found a National Park called Natural Bridges located about fifty miles northeast of the Four Corners boundary of southeast Utah. Our curiosity was aroused when we heard that it boasted the second-largest natural bridge in the world. This bridge, called Sipapu, was carved by water erosion in white Permian sandstone.
260 million years ago, this area had been a sea that had covered Utah during the Permian geological period. The energy of the ocean ground the grains of sand back and forth as the tides came and went. Over the millennia, streams carved down into the sandstone, eventually forming a natural bridge.
I couldn’t wait to see this 220-foot tall bridge with a span of 225 feet. Chris and I parked and, then, with a small group of people, descended a steep hiking trail that led down into the canyon where the bridge could be viewed. After a fifteen-minute descent, we came to the first viewing platform. Several signs indicated the bridge’s geological history and places to get a good view.
I looked and was astounded that I could not see the bridge. It seemed apparent that the other people were looking and commenting about what they saw. I asked Chris if he could see the bridge, and he looked at me strangely, thinking I must have been joking. No, I wasn’t kidding. All I could see was a rock face all around. As far as I could see, there was no bridge.
With Chris’s encouragement, I didn’t give up and continued to look ahead of me, doing my best to sort out the foreground from the background. Then, suddenly, the bridge popped into view. It had been there all along. I just couldn’t see it.
It was hard to accept that a 225-foot bridge could be invisible to my eyes, yet that was the truth. I realized this was parallel to my inability to see the Universe’s love showering over me in dark times.
At that moment, something connected in me. Of course, the Universe is continuously showering me with blessings. How could it be any other way? I have air to breathe, gravity to keep me on the earth, water to drink, and food to eat. I have the starry night and the sun’s light in the day. I am fortunate to have shelter and warmth. I am blessed beyond imagination. How could I have forgotten?
I wonder what other wonders I miss that are right before me. It made a difference to me that other people had seen the bridge I could not see. It would have remained an unreceived gift if none had seen it. So, there is a way in which it is a great blessing for us to share what we see with anyone who will listen. That way, we teach each other new ways of seeing, hearing, and feeling. We help each other grow in consciousness and in love. We can’t do it alone. We need each other. The bridges are there. We simply have to take the time to really see.