Resilience

Alexandria, Alexandria, Alexandria

So, it started with my two year old, feeling a bit of fatigue. Soon my wife came home a little frantic; Alex had a fever. We quickly ran the bathtub water, cooler than usual, to cool her down. This continued on throughout the evening; my little girl crying out to mommy, for help. Alex and I both hoping that mom somehow had the secret to health and well being.

This went on for the entire week, jolting awake by Alex’s sobs and running bath water to cool her. When Alex’s fever subsided a bit, to something we were happy with we would lay her back down to hopefully find rest.

In observing this drama unfold, I became aware, that when Alex felt better in between the ups and downs of her fever, she was swept away by a cheerful state of alacrity. She asked (in only the way a two year could; mumbling) to go outside to play, she wanted to enjoy the freedom of being two; in that wonderful carefree way. She wanted to run around and to enjoy life once again; such a beautiful little soul. In my heart I knew her resilience was something we all could take note of.

Thoughts

How many of us choose to enjoy life, to re-awaken our freedom to live carefree right after we experience an unmet expectation, a heart break, an emotional interruption or detour. How many of us stand up with great alacrity and get on with life with the enthusiasm to live the life we were meant to lead?

Would it be true to say that we fall into the temptation of wallowing in the mire of our situation? or do we allow ourselves to be swept away by the mellow drama of our self-pity?

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Viktor Frankle