A bridge over troubled water

Recently in the London/Tower Bridge area I saw a type of fountain I’d never seen before.  It was a narrow conduit running I guess 100mtrs.  Metal paving crossed it every few metres so people could walk over rather than hop across the open channel.  The flow of water was not the same along each section of the fountain.  Seeing the paving I thought of the Simon and Garfunkel song ‘Like a bridge over troubled waters’, and began to think about what it means to be a bridge.  

A bridge is defined as a structure that carries a road or path across an obstacle; an access point.  As a metaphor it speaks of support being given to others who, dealing with the flow of life, feel ill-equipped to face challenges.   As a bridge you help them to reach the options they feel unable to negotiate on their own.   You take some of the burden, lending them the strength and ability needed to reach a resolution.   You’re needed for a limited time; how long is hard to determine.  But having crossed their obstacle, the confidence you’ve helped them to grow will take them forward without you.