It’s Spring Break. No ‘vacation’ plans for us.
Last year I was set for Costa Rica, only to cancel 24 hours before the flight.

My morning routine of free journaling took me to this place.
A year look back at all the things my March 2020 self didn’t know.

I didn’t know that…
·      It would be a long-lasting pandemic with too many deaths.
·      Heartbreak was around the corner.
·      The house I dreamed of would enter my life and I’d become a homeowner.
·      We’d fill that house with color, plants, a cat named Millie, and pup named Marta.
·      Cycles of grief would ebb and flow for 6-8 months for me. I’d watch others stay in denial.
·      The collective trauma of pandemic, racial, and climate injustices would reverberate.
·      A deep depression would descend on me come winter.
·      I would start a certificate on climate change and public health to live my love of Earth and her beings.
·      People are so lonely - community and connection is needed but we’ve forgotten how.
·      I’d see the unhealed areas of my mind/ego/body come front and center again.
·      The slowdown of the early days would make the busy speed that came back feel so toxic.
·      The chance to fall into old patterns seeking comfort gave me a lesson in not shaming myself.
·      Capitalism’s ugly face would show up prioritizing profit over lives and health.
·      Most of higher ed would miss the opportunity for positive paradigm shifting.
·      I would have new friendships, deepen old ones, and lovingly release others.
·      A gravel bike would free my soul and bring joy to my summer.
·      My return to backpacking and camping would revive a long-lost part of myself.
·      Time is a spiral and we keep touching back on our pain points until we heal them, individually and collectively.

The skill I’ve reflected on is resiliency. The ups, the downs, the bouncing back to keep growing and going and loving.

I am always moving forward touching back on old patterns with the chance to evaluate what really matters and bring joy to the world. This builds resiliency.

We live in a world with on-going and new crisis and chaos. Personal and collective ones. Learning to face and cope with those stressors and overcome that adversity. This builds resiliency.

It’s not something to do perfectly but rather a life skill to practice. While there are theories and books on the topic, I’m working on being less academic-y and learning to tune into my own lessons.

I’ve learned that for me to build my resiliency skills, I need:

· Community – I need to feel meaningful, deep relationships with a small group of others. Then I need the next layer of meaningful but maybe less vulnerable relationships. And finally, I need to feel I’m contributing to my local community in some way.

· Intentional practices – I need activities I do regularly that they give me comfort and reflection. My morning journals do this. Writing can also help me change my story because I can more easily see any negative talk. Meditation is great and something I’ve been wanting to get back to forever now.

· Nature – I need outside breathing and being. Walks are great. Hikes and times outside of town are even better. Indoor plants add life and care, too.

· Facing fears and worries – This year has def hit on fears and worries I didn’t even know I had and magnified others, but it’s given me a chance to look at the root of those and how they hold me back. This one is a work in progress as I guess they all are.

How have you worked on resiliency this year? How can we help the kids build more of this now as they will need it? How can we support each other’s resiliency building?