Resilience in the Winter

From layering up with three to four layers of thermal clothes to jerseys and jackets, not forgetting double pairs of socks, scarfs and hats, indeed the winter has been long, cold and hard. Adjusting from a hot tropical country to a cold location with temperatures below zero degrees Celsius has not been easy. Dealing with the un-ending flu symptoms (runny noses, headaches, tearing eyes and sore throats), wearing heavy tons of clothes, and being indoors during inclement weather days has all been part of my learning experience of how to survive in a cold place. Finally, spring is here and I am so over joyed that I have survived the winter- change of seasons, and soon summer will be here- something my body is used to.
Using the illustration of my weather experience, I can’t help but draw so much hope from it and use it as an allegory for someone who may be going through life’s storms. This winter experience has reminded me that no life challenge or battle is permanent- whether it is disease, depression, betrayal, lack of finances, delay or stagnation of any sort surely does come to pass. Just as we layer up our clothes to manage the cold, we can also layer up our attitudes with faith, patience, hope and other resilient strategies to deal life’s battle. Resilience is a key leadership quality that is most often not talked about, yet so important in pushing one to not giving up and staying strong until the solution is found. Resilience is important for growth and change.
I will end with two quotes:
Elizabeth Edwards, “She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”
Steve Goodier, “My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.”