When I wrote this LinkedIn article entitled Extraordinary Resilience in April 2020, I had a preconceived notion that the world will reset back to the original normal within a year. It is now the start of 2022, and my assumption proved to be wrong.
The original normal is nothing more than a memory we can find on our social feeds and saved videos and photos. I can yearn with nostalgia to bring back what was, and this wish is futile. Applying the adage that the only constant is change, there’s much to be said about how much has changed. Have you found yourself like I have where I’m dumbstruck, “What the #$#bleep is going on?” For instance, I can count months since I last wore business attire from head to toe. Hah. I can tell you’re nodding with agreement. Nowadays, how I look is only important from what can be seen within the frame of my video conferencing camera.
I mistakenly put a schedule on something that I don’t have personal control over. Even with every nation focused on ending the pandemic, this season has progressed through unchartered territories and complexities. There isn’t a date with any of it.
Time moves on, and it’s not “as usual”. I have adapted. In actuality, I realized that resiliency is a practice for a healthy, thriving life.
I found creativity and fun while being in the stay-home situation and distancing. I have enjoyed experimenting with different spices in my cooking. Usually on Fridays, I put on a one-song one-person dance party. It’s easy to find an upbeat music, drop everything for 4 minutes, and dance with abandonment. I’m nothing but smiles when the music ends. One of my favorite art projects is making a paper mache mask for my Halloween costume. The last time I did paper mache was in grade school, and this time was just as much fun and messy!
Versatility and positivity go hand in hand. How do I maintain a quality lifestyle when there’s some limitation? The answer is that I look beyond the limitation and look for ways to make it work. Midway through 2020, I was going stir crazy not being able to meet up and network with others. I searched and found like-minded professionals who were willing to have relationships virtually. I’m pleased to say that I am a member of 4Word Women in Portland, and I got to know these ladies through Zoom for the first year of being in the community.
I chose to keep looking and not settle. My persistence yielded a result that brings satisfaction and quality relationships.
Something else that I chose into is daily morning time to set my mind, body and soul for what lies ahead. This includes music, dance, yoga, meditation, reading, journaling, deep breathing, visualization, prayer, and dreaming. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, can throw a wrench in my day when I start the day focusing on my well-being.
So, resiliency didn’t just fall onto my lap and it didn’t stay as a philosophical idea. Instead, I embodied ways to rise above the fray. In essence, I take responsibility of my life one day at a time.