Resilience is the ability, or capability, of bouncing back when you face extreme situations: a terminal illness, abruptly losing your job or significant other, a natural disaster… It’s not education, experience, training or intuition that explains resilience. Resilience is tied to the understanding and acceptance of reality: the facts, the problem. Resilience is related to a strong and deep belief that life is meaningful and worth living, no matter what. Resilience has to do with the ability of reinventing yourself no matter the adversity.
The ability to see reality, no matter how devastating, is followed by the ability to build and find meaning in terrible situations. Instead of asking why me, you ask why not and what can I learn from this situation. By doing this, you envision a future, different than the current situation. Making adversity meaningful helps to move forward: it helps to better deal with troubles; it helps to manage the present to reinvent yourself and create a different, promising, hopeful future.
Why am I writing all this stuff? Because I have been having the hardest time in my life and, for moments, I have felt alone, helpless and hopeless. But I know I can find my own answers, set boundaries between me and adversity; laugh and make fun of this situation; create from chaos and get closer to those I truly love.
Because I’m a warrior, I’m resilient and I don’t give up. Because there’s a phoenix inside me, I’m finding my way to heal and rebirth and resurface. Because life is beautiful and too short, I’m bouncing back, counting my blessings, cooking, writing, gardening, laughing, listening to the music I love, loving, enjoying my kids —my wonderful kids, my private pair of miracles—, even liking basketball, working and dreaming and having something to look forward! Because I’m alive and life is beautiful and I’m enjoying it!
