The other day, I came across a compelling photo of my granddaughter sitting on the floor of her gym, and the first word that came to mind was resilience. This is not such an odd thought to have, this child was made from material that when stretched will bounce back to its original shape. That is ingrained in her persona. She is one to carry on in the face of challenge or difficulty, even in times of stress. She is remarkable; no wonder she is one of my heroes.
Our world is now filled with challenges to the likes we have never seen. The perplexities of our political climate with the world’s powers on the brink of war, our failing environment, and the continued dregs of the virus – just to name a few, have placed on us the burden to have to dig deeper and respond with elastic and malleable gestures just to stay grounded. It is all mind-boggling. I have allowed my thoughts to wander in an effort to make sense out of it all, but as my grandmother used to say “you can’t make sense out of crazy, Donna Jean”. So, I am letting it all just BE.
Resilience is something we need more of in all arenas of our lives. To be able to adapt and recover quickly is an attribute that is sorely needed. I heard a story the other day that depicts resilience but not in the way you think. Let me explain: A young harried mother of three, leaving soccer practice with crying disgruntled children who were rebelling against the at-home dinner menu selection, decided instead to appease and find some peace to her own stressful day. The mother buckled all the kids in and headed to McDonald’s Drive Up. After this young gal ordered and got to the window to pay, she realized her wallet was left beside the computer at home where she had pulled it to pay for some on-line activity fees for the kids. Now, she began to cry and fitfully tried to explain to the young man behind the window that she would go home and come back with her wallet. “No worries,” the teenaged cashier replied as he reached into his wallet and immediately swiped his own card. “Just pay-it-forward”, he said. With more tears falling and beeping horns behind her, the young mother accepted the grace that was being bestowed. The story ends days later when a GoFundMe page the grateful young mother had established raised $35,000 as a reward for the young man’s generosity.
Here is where I see resilience: first, I see it in the young man (one who was reported to be working to save money to buy a car). This young man ‘stretched’ his humanity in the face of an adverse situation. He ‘recovered’ quickly and took action without a second thought. I, also, see resilience in the young mother who ‘bounced’ back from her astounded state of mind and furthered the acceptance of grace by paying it, as the young man requested, forward. All in all, a beautiful cycle of grace born out of resilience.
Even with all that is going on in our country today; I still am glad to live in a world where this kind of grace exists.
Keep it 100% people, keep yourselves grounded!