In writing this column, I am doing so while I am still hearing updates on the news about the devastating fires that have caused catastrophic damage and loss to the Los Angeles area. I have watched countless images, videos and other testimonials on television and via social media about the impact of all of this to so many people and their families. It is scary to think that in my own neighborhood I was under fire evacuation orders many years ago due to wildfires that caused much destruction where I live as well. I have vivid memories of not sleeping that entire night as I sat watching the news on television, with packed photo albums, insurance paperwork, some clothes and food along with a couple of toys for my Siamese cat Diego. Thankfully, we were lucky to have survived without any damage to us, however, driving up from my house over the next several days was very somber when I saw first-hand how many homes were randomly destroyed. I also saw Sam Champion reporting for ABC news from New York on a corner in the neighborhood and it all felt very surreal. Hence, I feel the weight of the ongoing losses every time I get an update. As all of this plays in my mind, I saw a quote from the actor Keanu Reeves who was speaking on what resilience meant to him. Part of his quote stated, “Don’t define yourself by what you lost, but by what you do with what’s left”. This made me think even longer about the many individuals who have had to contend with the aftermath of a catastrophe and how they managed to get up the next day and put one foot in front of the other, as they began their long road to recovery. The scars of those experiences also remain with us for what can be a lifetime, however, how we use what we learned from it becomes part of our life’s lesson that we can one day share with someone else. Moving forward is never easy for anybody; however, it is one of the few alternatives that we have left after processing what just transpired. One doesn’t have to think very hard when you look at what is occurring in the world when you hear of damaging consequences to others as a result of a life changing incident. What I look for in all of these stories are the kernels of hope that are sprinkled throughout a difficult story, which feature how others helped in a time of need. Those individuals that become the heroes of these occurrences, are what continue to give us hope and remind us that good people do exist and lending a hand when there is a need can provide more transformative energy than the destruction caused by it. In our own families, I am sure that you can recall someone who was a vivid example of helping a neighbor, family member or friend. My grandmother was and still is one of my biggest inspirations, as I recall that although she didn’t have much, she was so generous in many different ways. If you came to her house around any of the meal times, she always had enough food to offer someone and would insist on ensuring that they ate something before leaving her house. She carried lots of change in her purse and if she ran into someone asking for money, she never hesitated to hand some of that out unconditionally. I firmly believe that many us don’t have to look too far in our own families to find great examples of this type of generous behavior. Hence, as we continue to process hardships around us, remember you get to have the last word in how you pick up the pieces afterwards. My hope is that all of you show the world what true resilience can look like in the next steps of recovering from a setback and that in the process you become the living example to our next generation who are looking at us. Thank you to the many first responders, firefighters, volunteers and all of the people that put themselves in the middle of harm’s way to help someone in need. They are the living examples of heroes and sheroes that walk amongst us.
“The key to life is resilience…We will always be knocked down.
It’s the getting up that counts.”
-Dominique Browning
