Resilience

“Resilience is not an exclusively interior quality. Its existence, growth, and survival depend significantly on what and who fills the space around us and the nature of the balance that exists between ourselves and the outer world.”

~ Frederic Flach

Resilience is the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Teaching and empowering our youth requires a tremendous amount of resilience. The number of times we daily “recover” quickly from ongoing stresses and difficulties cannot be counted. We have learned how to move forward through the behavioral outbursts, disappointing meetings, and never-ending responsibilities, simply doing the next thing. However, these things are heavy. They weigh on our hearts and minds during the school year and well into the weeks of summer. We need a time to reset and recover deeply from the experiences we have had.

In this season of rest and renewal, resilience is strengthened. In our quote for today, we read that “its existence, growth, and survival depend significantly on what and who fills the space around us and the nature of the balance that exists between ourselves and the outer world.” The reality is: it is difficult to intentionally focus on what and who takes up space around us when we do not give ourselves the time and opportunity to do so. Balancing our own selves with that around us requires a quietness - a reflectiveness. As we create space to come back to who we are, renewing our minds and spirits, we will find our resilience gaining strength underneath the surface. Sometimes in the quietest moments, the most progress is being made. Trust the process.