RESILIENCE IS NEVER LONELY

We as humans are taught at an early age to be happy, to embrace happiness such that a child embodies when falling over in fits of laughter. The innocence of a child is a healthy reminder that life can be just that simple. Seldom are we taught to run towards chaos, embrace difficulties and impending tragedy.

When life seems dire, your surroundings and the road ahead seems impossible to face and all options seem unbearable. First instinct is to forget the strength we as human beings have to survive. Much like living organisms in the wild, we have a limitless ability to transform into survival mode. We may even surprise ourselves with what we can achieve. I experienced such a transformation two years ago. On the afternoon of Sept 23 2016 (I still remember it was 5:26pm), I received a phone call whilst away on a business trip, with news of my father suffering a major stroke. Doctors weren’t sure if he could pull through but what I didn’t know at the time was, my father was fighting and teaching me one of life’s greatest lessons, even in his dire state. When you have the will, there is always a way. He fought through and allowed time for all his loved ones to rush to be by his side to say our final goodbyes. He let us know in his own way that he was ok, that it was his time to leave the physical world but would carry on his existence in spirit.

When faced with the calamity of loss of a loved one and a tragedy that all must go through at some stage in life, it marks a turning point in life and if you allow it, will propel you into a new found way of living. The major upsets and heartaches in life are no longer magnified and some may even seem miniscule in scale. Troubles at work and trivial drama seem just that, trivial. They are of no consequence in the grand scheme of things.

The focus immediately shifted from insignificant details to a greater being. When the road ahead mimics that of a never-ending and desolate desert, life began to form. The strength and resilience we have to survive in such situations continues to amaze me. I’m forever inspired by those that fight through the hardships; often times hardships we don’t speak of and are hidden far beneath the surface. The first step in peeling yourself off the floor and learning to stand up again is acknowledgement. Acknowledge the hardships, face them head on and slowly but surely, stand up tall again. Through this, we not only begin to love and feed our souls again, we also learn to nurture those who are also fighting a battle and we begin the path towards living with empathy.

When you witness a gentle yet resilient soul, remember, they have a story too so never stop nurturing. Remember to look up, hold up and never stop showing up. Though we often fear the idea of standing alone, the inner strength we all possess and the will to move forward allows us to stand tall. We learn to stand up again. We aren’t just fighting, we are being. We’ll never stop showing up and one day, you will find a kindred soul who is walking a similar path.

You are not alone.

Resilience is never lonely.

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