The power of resilience
Dear reader, on this occasion I would like to tell you a more personal and recent story, which surely inspired you to review those moments when you thought that everything was going wrong and there was no way out. I will talk about my experience in the recent winter storm. It all started a few days before when my husband and I wanted to see the snow up close. Both were excited to see the snow, it was our first experience with it. We had monitored the weather app and it was very likely that after Valentine’s Day it would snow.
The day it started to snow, we were really happy, we put on our winter clothes and went for a walk just behind our apartment. We feel the snow, we breathe the cold air, and we were glad to have such a moment. A few hours later we observed that the weather conditions worsened, and some concern was beginning to be noticed after the arrival of this storm. The first alert we heard about was related to power outages. We were able to verify by Twitter that in fact important power outages were expected in the city. At that point we began to prepare for what was to come, we separated some water into containers, covered doors, and windows to conserve heat, and did a quick inventory of what we had in the cupboard. When the blackouts began, we were OPTIMISTIC with the situation. We thought this situation would only last a day or two at the most, but we did not expect what would happen next.
Fortunately, in the apartments where we stayed, electricity was rationed 1:1 (one hour of electricity and one hour without electricity), so we optimized the time that there was light to prepare something to eat, warm up a bit and do necessities. A few days went by and the routine felt a bit heavy, and we were a bit worried that the food started to run out. It was at that precise moment that we stopped having water. In that instant, we knew that we were in a situation that we had not experienced before, and we felt a bit DESPERATE.
The weather had improved a bit, but not enough for the snow to melt, so my husband quickly came up with that in the worst-case scenario we could use the snow to melt it and use that water at least for the toilet. Fortunately, we had kept some water in some glass containers, so we had some drinking water. With the above resolved, we took care of our mental health. During this process we noticed that we began to do those things that made us feel better, my husband deepened his strategies for playing chess, so he kept his mental part active and had the opportunity to read some notes related to his work. As for me, I focused on going deeper in my meditation practice. I wanted to focus on that because I only need myself, my heart and my breath. At times when we did not have light, I took advantage of the daylight to do some basic household chores. At night when it got dark, I focused on meditation, breathing, and silence. All the previous actions taught us that we know the meaning of RESILIENCE and that we are capable of moving forward. The most beautiful moment was definitely at dusk, where we snuggled and did an exercise together in which we said to each other “WE ARE BLESSED, WE ARE TOGETHER, THIS MOMENT IS AS IT SHOULD BE”.
Shortly after going through this, the weather improved and little by little things started to get back to normal. A few days later, talking with my husband about what we experienced, I remember that our perception of the situation changed from beginning to end. The reality, dear reader, is that after that moment in which you know that services as basic as electricity and water are not present, it is when you begin to reconsider what is really happening in your life. I wanted to share this experience, because beyond remembering it, I would like you to have a moment of reflection on how all those difficult moments in which you thought there was no way out, surely you did something or thought of something that evoked the word “Resilience”. You may or may not know the meaning of the word, but definitely living it is one of the most amazing experiences you can ever experience.
What did you think of the story?
As always, I wish you have an excellent day wherever you are.
