Two brothers lived next door to each other, tending their farms. They shared machinery, traded labor and other stuff from time to time. Forty years passed. They got into one of those misunderstandings. However, the minor issue became a major difference of opinion and led to words being exchanged and then, a rift between the two. They stopped talking to each other.
Then one morning, there was a knock on one of the brother’s doors. When he opened it, he found a man standing there with a toolbox. He was looking for some work and asked if there were any minor jobs he could do. The brother agreed and pointing to the creek by his farm, said, “There, beyond that creek is my brother’s farm. Last week we had a beautiful meadow between our farms. But he drove his bulldozer through it to the river and now, we have a creek between us. I think he did it to spite me. Now, here’s what I want you to do,” and showing the man a pile of lumber by his barn, said, “Build me a fence. A really tall one that hides his farm from me.”
The man who happened to be a carpenter, said he would and set to work after he got the materials he needed. He worked all day, measuring out wood, sawing, hammering nails. When the brother who hired him came out to see how far the work had progressed, he was shocked!
He could see no fence. Instead, he saw a beautifully crafted bridge sitting across the creek. He walked to it and ran his hand across the handrail. As he looked, he spotted his brother at the other end of the bridge, arms outstretched. He said, “You are amazing to build this bridge after what I did and said!”
The brothers then walked towards each other and hugged.
Then they turned to see the carpenter pack his toolbox. “Please stay,” they said. “We have plenty of work for you.”
Said the carpenter, “I’d love to. But I have many bridges to build.”
♥
Relationships are precious.
They take nurturing, love and care.
They involve letting go of grudges.
Fences vs bridges. The choice is ours.
One leads to isolation.
The other leads to happiness.
♥
#WednesdayWisdom is a series with short bursts of easy-to-consume wisdom in the form of stories, quotes, anecdotes, and humor.
15 comments
It takes one step to bridge the gap. What beautiful story you have shared Vidya 😊
I like stories with happy ending…like the one above…..
This is so beautiful, Vidya. I really needed to read this today. Yes, fences or bridges it is our choice what we build!
What a lovely story. I agree the choice is always our..whether we pick fences or bridges
Such maturity is brave and very difficult to express – loved the story Vidya! I think I am more comfy with the fences as its less hurting for me; building bridges takes courage and something I seem to lack at times.
Awww…your Wednesday Wisdom posts always touch my heart, Vidya! Lovely tale, this one, and so full of meaning. And, so true. Relationships need a lot of love, care, and understanding.
<3
Since the day I’ve learnt to let go of grudges, life has been much simpler.
I loved this story so much. Human relationships are what matters the most. Money and fame can come and go.
Beautiful.
Building fences and letting go of grudges is so important.
Hi Vidya! What a great story. I had not heard that one before but think it applies to us all. Thank you. ~Kathy
This is beautiful and so very true. My 22 yr old niece is building a fence right now over a disagreement done over messenger! It’s about the Me Too movement and that I did not agree with her in a couple of spots. She got angry and since then, has not respond3d to my overtures. I’m not quite sure how to continue to respond. I have written and I have called her but..nothing.
This is definitely a story about wisdom. Wisdom is a very special level of enlightenment. It is the point in life when we finally realize that chasing after things in life simply does not work. We only have to stop and remove the obstacles that we have built around ourselves and then those things come to us 🙂
What a delightful parable! Thank you for sharing.
Amen Vidya! You speak great wisdom my friend. I spend my days building bridges. I bond myself with other humans through serving folks, connecting with folks and by simply talking to folks. Online this means blog commenting and cross promoting. Offline it means smiling and chatting. Build bridges guys! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ryan
So happy to see you here, Ryan! You are right–connections are everything!
You and I first connected several years ago when I visited your blog, and I recall that the first thing that struck me about you was the positive kick-ass attitude, as if to say everything is possible. The best thing about you is that it is all delivered with a great dose of humor. The best way. Thanks for being awesome!
Vidya Sury recently posted…One Cup of Coffee From the Wall, Please #WednesdayWisdom
such a lovely one in today’s times when relations are so strained