Resilience - Chapter 1

In the past month I have slept in 7 different beds, traveled over 6049 miles (roughly 9911 km) and adjusted to 3 different time zones.

I have been patted down on three separate occasions by airport security, packed and repacked my suitcase 6 times and gone from +30celcius to -35celcius faster than you can say “brrr.”

Are you tired yet? I should add that I did all of this with two small children in tow (and one kicking me from the inside out!). I will say it again...having a squirmy 21 month old in “what’s left of your lap” in a downsized airline seat is not my idea of comfortable travel.

I'm amazed. Not just at the amount of “stuff” you need in order to travel with kids, nor at the amount of times a 3 year old can visit the airplane bathroom on a 2 hour flight...not even at the fact that an airport security agent can somehow legally rip apart the seam on a brand new pair of boots during her search without any repercussions. No, what has me in awe is the way my kids have adapted, flexed, and (on occasions) contorted to new routines, surroundings and faces.

For all those agonizing hours I’ve spent over the last 3 years ensuring my kids’ routines remain unaltered, their schedules uninterrupted and their environment “safe,” my eyes have recently been opened to what happens when kids are forced out of that bubble.

And I’m pleasantly surprised.

After years of studying in the field of Education, I have now personally witnessed a case study in the resilience of children...the elastic ability of the human spirit to “bounce back” even after experiencing trauma, stress and difficulty. (That being said, I am not trying to suggest that my children were traumatized by the events of our life over the past month...just that a fair bit of stress must be attributed to a young soul who is suddenly removed from the only home they have had for the past 9 months, introduced into a climate diametrically opposed to their said “home,” and reintroduced to faces they have not seen in over a year. All without the ability to comprehend where in fact, home now is.)

All in all…my kids seem to be sleeping better, eating better and even listening better than before all this upheaval began. And I think I've discovered the reason why.

To a certain age, young children have a natural tendency to place their sense of security in their parents. Although loved and treasured, their sense of belonging and "rootedness" is not grounded in their friends, their home or even their meager possessions. Rather, to a great extent, "home" to a young child is not a certain building structure or street address...but wherever Mom and Dad happen to be.

Sure, my kids had to adjust a bit, to time zones and weather...but the bottom line is, they seemed to coast through this turbulent time, content with the fact that Mom and Dad are here and (seemingly) in control. It's as if their resilience is buoyed by something bigger and deeper.

Trust.

I have learned a lot from my children over the past month. Perhaps this journey has provided a window into the way God designed us to be; rooted in Him, rolling with the punches of life and secure in who is looking out for us..."like a child."

Resilience. Born out of implicit trust.

And this line of thinking begs the hard questions, "In whom have I placed my trust? Where am I rooted through all of life's unknowns? Even now, as I impatiently wait for the day when I can stop living out of a suitcase, is my sense of security dwindling...or strong as ever, grounded in my knowledge of a God who is good, faithful and loving ALL the time?"

"How resilient am I proving to be?"

(to be continued...)