I came across a compelling photo of my oldest granddaughter the other day 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, social unrest, failing environment, deadly virus – just to name a few, have placed on us the burden to have to dig deeper and respond with an elastic and malleable gesture 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 just trying to let it all 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 home dinner menu selection the mother had announced, decided instead to appease and find some peace to her own stressful day. After she buckled them all in, she headed to McDonalds. After approaching the drive-up window to order and advancing to the next window to pay, she realized her wallet was left beside the computer at home where she had pulled it to pay for some sports fees. Now, she was crying and fitfully trying to explain to the young man behind the window that she would be back. “No worries,” the teenaged cashier replied as he reached into his wallet and immediately swiped his own card. “Just pay-it-forward”, he said. More tears 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 young mother 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. He ‘stretched’ his humanity in the face of an adverse situation. He ‘recovered’ quickly and took action without giving it 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; the shouts and complaints and worries being played out in the media, I still am glad to live in a world where this kind of grace exists. Keep it 100% people, keep yourselves grounded. Keep your efforts intentional.