At The Bridge

This is the US 41 Interstate Bridge that joins Menominee, Michigan and Marinette, Wisconsin. It was dedicated in 1930 and spurred the development of the commercial area around 13th Street and 10th Avenue in Menominee. It also led to the development of the M&M Plaza.

Courtesy of  The Menominee Historical Society

We live at the border of Michigan and Wisconsin, at the push-pin point where the Menominee River ends its waterway journey, and at the edge of that river's blue-green boundary. Thus, our geography creates a unique place with the bridge at the heart of one community uniting two cities, two separate counties, and two different states. So, for us, crossing bridges is routine.

As the bridge is at the heart of our territory, competitive behavior is at the center of the way we think. We operate in the land of Vince Lombardi, the M&M Game, and the University of Michigan Vs. Michigan State. We grew up in an age where progress was made by fighting wars, winning campaigns, and building big chains. Likewise, you and I participated by competing for top test scores, being the fastest, and gaining status over others.  For us, like crossing bridges, competing is second nature.

Competing is in our history, and, understandably, we default to this way of solving a problem; but, how is the constant clash of opposing sides working for you, your community, and our nation these days? 

Consider that playing games has its place for personal development, entertainment, and fun.  We are motivated by the challenge of a starting point, boundaries, and a score at the end. However, community development does not seem to be a game like that to me. Contrast competitive gaming with the fact that we strive to live long and eternal lives. As well, the pursuit of happiness is subjectively personal. In society, there are no starting blocks or a finish line. Building a better community is a different model than our regular competition.  Can we acknowledge that we are not better off when our games create more losers than winners for our young people, family, friends, and neighbors?

Each time you are at a bridge, let it remind you about the heart of our community. If you care, you would not be striving to win a game of you vs. me, us vs. them. What if we discarded the win-lose thinking and instead worked shoulder to shoulder with empathy and without fear? Replace the energy spent on skirmishes and avoidance with actions of gratitude, building on strengths, and cooperating as allies. Then, without permission from anyone but yourself, you can be constructive at little to no extra cost. Cross your mental bridge to making things happen through participation, acts of kindness, mutual trust, and respect.