The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge in San Diego is a pedestrian bridge that traverses the Arroyo Canyon between Front Street and Brant Street. It was built in 1912.

A few blocks away is the Quince Street Bridge, which spans Maple Canyon between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. It was built in 1905 (for $805!) and is one of few remaining wooden trestle pedestrian bridges in San Diego.

Fun fact: Apparently it was refurbished between 1987–1990 at a cost of $250,000.

The Spruce Street Bridge rocks back and forth as people walk on it. At one point, I was joined on the bridge by a couple at the other end. The woman was actively rocking the bridge by pushing and pulling at the ropes while she stomped on the bridge. Why??

The Quince Street Bridge didn’t shake, but I did feel it creaking under me. I also noticed some holes in the wood slats and some nails popping up.

A Matter of Trust

Reflecting on my experience crossing both bridges — each in existence for well over a century — the word that came to me was trust.

If you fully trust the bridge to support you, you will walk across with confidence and purpose. If you don’t, you will cross with timidity and hesitation.

The bridge is a microcosm of life.

How much trust do you have in the foundation and structures that support you?

Every time we walk outside — in fact, every time we stand up on our feet — we implicitly trust that we will be supported. By our feet, by our legs, by the earth beneath us, by the structures on which we stand or walk or drive.

The extent to which we feel safe in our bodies, and, by extension, in the world, is directly related to how much we trust our physical foundation to support us.

All feelings of safety and security come from trust in our physical foundation.

Root to Rise

In the energy of the subtle body, the First Chakra, also known as the Root Chakra, governs your physical foundation. This energetic center includes your literal physical foundation (feet, ankles, legs), as well as other aspects of your foundation: health, finances, relationships, family life (your “roots”), home, and the systems and structures you rely on in your life and work.

Your ability to create and express yourself, your sense of willpower, determination, and courage, your ability to make clear and firm decisions, to be open hearted and vulnerable, and even your capacity to create meaningful visions for your life, all relate back to your rooting and your physical foundation.

The more you trust in your foundation, the more certainty you will have in how you cross the bridges of life.

What’s your level of trust in your physical foundation?