An Example of Resilience

Resilience seems best experienced in the reciprocal nature of serving and being nurtured by others. The resolve, capacity, and encouragement needed to overcome challenges and/or to thrive do not arise out of isolation. We are only adequate in our shared sense of humanity through genuine caring for each other. In serving others, my spirit has strengthened in ways that promote resilience.

It is such a gift to know I am genuinely blessed. Yet, I have not always felt this way. Having been born to a single teenage mother who was uneducated, homeless, mentally ill, and drug-addicted and who was intensely hostile toward males (including me), life was difficult from my earliest days. Family poverty and abusive circumstances resulted in a need to provide for most of my own needs beginning at a very early age. This resulted in the false belief that resilience was a product of self-reliance. It turned out nothing could be further from the truth.

Today, I know my blessings and they are far more vested in my shared journey with others than in material possessions. In this regard, I’ve come to know, and contribute to, the generosity of the human spirit. Together, we can and do overcome remarkable challenges and liberate the sustaining loving capacities for resilience that reside deep within us.

By Bob Reid