Resiliency: Why do we need it? Have you ever noticed that challenges just pop up in life? We are going along our path, what ever that may be and often out of nowhere, like a pot hole on a country road, pops up a challenge! Could be relatively small, phone dies, bank card doesn’t work, friend doesn’t show up, computer crashes, little pot holes. Get a series of these in one day and they feel like bigger pot holes.
And than there are the bigger potholes of life, the ones like death, divorce, illness, heart break, job loss, the ones that can stump us, the ones that stop us in our paths. Potholes, no matter their size need to be navigated, so that we can continue down the paths of our lives. The tools that we use to get around, past or through these potholes are what make up the quality of Resiliency. It is what keeps us from getting stuck in the pothole, it is what finds a way around the losses and back to our life. It is patience, determination, courage, persistence, a quality of character that all say, ” this will not stop me, I will get there, no matter what”.
I like to give the example of my dog Ruffus. He was abandoned by his owner on the beach. He got up one day, and his owner had left him homeless, without shelter, food or water. I can imagine this was a BIG pothole for Ruffus. He showed such great Resiliency, he showed determination, patience, persistence, he had the quality of character, he never gave up, until he found a family and a home, with us! He found a way to have food by going to people and restaurants and looking hungry, he found a way to have water by learning where the outdoor faucets were, he found shelter by finding abandoned spaces. He tried to befriend many, many , many people, some shooed him away, some patted him, some fed him, but no one gave him what he wanted, but he was not deterred, he was persistent and he kept looking until he found us! This is Resiliency and this is why we all need it!