Thursday, January 14, 2021

Judy Howard

Resilience

From the American Heritage Dictionary, resilience is the ability to bounce back from illness, change, misfortune, depression.

I wish for all of us the power to be resilient. I think we need to be, right now.

I hope to recognize that all we’ve experienced with COVID restrictions in the last 10 months is temporary. How temporary, we can’t know yet. Eventually it will pass. Eventually we will be vaccinated. Eventually our lives will ‘get back to normal.’ It will be a new normal, a different normal. How we react to and live with the new normal will be a reflection of how resilient we are.

I hope that we recognize that for the last four years we’ve been more divided as a country than since the Civil War. We need to bounce back and work toward harmony together. To support each other in our goals for union with all. To reject violence against each other and to embrace love and kindness and truth.

I’ve been stuck on this essay on resilience. Perhaps you can see that, between the lines. This morning’s, from Lori Pellatt, reminded me of something. She said that in disappointment, some people just crumble, while others let the disappointments roll off of them. Those of you who know me know that I’m the crumbling kind. Not so much from disappointment, but from frustration. However, once I’m done crumbling, I pick up the pieces and move on, and am stronger for it. One of my bosses used to comment, “Gee, Jude - you just get it out of you and it’s like it never happened.” Maybe now, after 66 years of bouncing back, I’m strong enough, through resilience.