Bridging Capital

“Some people build bridges between other people.  It comes natural to them, and I am one of those.”  This is what a female friend of mine told me one day while I gave her a ride to pick up a sound system for a party she had organized for later that week.  What she said seemed true enough—while she lived in the city she was the organizer, recruiter, and general front man for a group of disc jockeys and their dance parties.  She built plenty of bridges for the jockeys, so I thought I may be the beneficiary of a similar service some day.  However, I never did feel like she built any bridges for me before she departed.  I felt a tinge of resent for a while, but then I realized that (1) you shouldn’t be friends with someone because you expect something in return, and (2) bridge builders don’t build bridges between everyone they meet.  The resentment has since nearly faded and I have found that it’s often more fun to build your own bridges anyway.