Minneapolis: A Reminder of the Delicate Structure of our Lives

Eye witnesses say there was a shaking, a roar of dulled thunder, and a blinding cloud of dust as a four-lane interstate bridge spanning the Mississippi collapsed during rush hour in downtown Minneapolis. A quick turn of the dial and viewers were deluged with images of the aftermath of this disaster which quickly puts life into perspective.

I often wonder why it takes disaster to do that. To bring us into a moment of awareness of our own lives and perhaps what "structure" or relationship needs a little more attention.

The bridge was under construction. Preliminary reports indicate ongoing construction on the bridges joints and surfaces. The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) has been brought in to investigate. But Might this catastrophe had been avoided?

It’s hard to make sense of such a tragedy knowing that further attention, precautions, or some kind of other due diligence might have prevented this outcome. Then again it just might have been a matter of a 40 year old bridge in need of great repair.

In our own lives at home and at work, we experience "structural breakdowns" when chaos rears its head, even though it might not be on the level of a bridge collapse. Everything is relative.

Losing a job, not being able to pay the mortgage on a home, retirement, or even taking the risk to quit a job and start a new company can rock the structural integrity of our daily lives. Unlike the bridge, it may not make a thunderous noise, but the aftermath in the confusion of a metaphoric poof of smoke indicates change was apparently needed and is stealthily on its way.

As we head into the second half of the summer we’ve been handed another reminder to take inventory of our lives at home and in the workplace. I’m asking myself:

1. What needs a little special attention; are there structural issues that need attention at work?
2. Am I listening to what my body is telling me; is my stress level impacting my life?
3. Is there a colleague at work, or in my business who needs to be heard?
4. Does my worklife situation need a complete overhaul, or can I make minor changes to create more balance.
5. Am I feeding my true passion and purpose in the work that I do, or is it time for change?

I’m not a big advocate of seeking out and making problems bigger than they are. But I think when you  cultivate awareness (whatever your practice), pay attention to the small unattended cracks in the daily infrastructure that might need a little mending, and offer a bit more compassion to others,  we can’t help but evolve as human beings. Within that conscious evolution a new awareness emerges and pesky issues don’t have an opportunity to grow and cause a collapse in our daily lives.