Human Resilience

From July 8, 2006

Hello everybody! I hope you are enjoying your summer. Can you believe that Fall is just around the corner? For me, time continues to travel just outside of my reach, no matter how much I accomplish during the day.

Resilience: 1. Ability to recover rapidly, as from misfortune: buoyancy. 2. The property of a material that enables it to regain its original shape after being bent, stretched, or compressed: elasticity (Riverside Webster’s II Dictionary).

Have you ever wondered about human resiliency? It is true, we are a resilient species. What does that mean? It means that when something bad happens, I can recover. Let me say that again—I can recover. I can pick myself up, dust myself off, and begin again. It is not so much a matter of resiliency, as it is a matter of choice.

Is it ever too late to be resilient? No. I would like to believe that no matter what stage of life I am in, I may be “stretched or compressed”, but I can continue—and life will go on. It is a choice we make, just like the choices we make all day long, every day. Some choices take a lot of thought, and some require very little. But we can choose to be resilient.

A couple days ago I took a photograph of these magnificent little flowers that seem to grow only on the scorched rocks at the base of Yellowstone's geysers.  Try as we might, one of my girls and I looked all around and couldn't find them anywhere else.  They are so unique because their leaves grow and intertwine upward, giving it a linked appearance.  They created their own resilience in order to survive the harsh climate.

Are you stretched, compressed, or buffeted by misfortune? If you are, I hope you will choose to be resilient—that you will bounce back with strength greater than before. Remember, you are important—and your life does matter. You are loved. Keep your head up, and stay the course.