resilience: (ri-zil-yuhns) noun 1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. 2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; bouyancy.
Yesterday was one of those days that I soaked in every detail & thought "isn't this incredible?" I guess that's a natural response after something horrible happens, like it did Monday at the Boston Marathon. But really life is incredible.
As I ran along the Potomac proudly wearing my Red Sox shirt, I couldn't help but smile. That bleak day had finally ended and the sun had risen again. The sailboats were back gliding gracefully along the river, & as I passed fellow runners, walkers, & cyclists I noticed the number of people who were also proudly sporting their Boston gear: hats, shirts, Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics... As we passed each other we would all nod, wave, or smile, as if to say that we, too, stand behind Boston during this time. We, too, hurt with those lost or injured. And we, too, will overcome.
But not only is life incredible, so is humanity itself. There were so many glimpses on Monday & Tuesday of how wonderfully good humanity can be, especially in the face of adversity! Of how runners would continue on past the finish line to Massachusetts General Hospital to give blood to those who needed it. Of bystanders running not away from the blasts but towards them to help in any way possible: creating tourniquets from their own clothes, comforting complete strangers as if they were family, offering their phones to those separated from their loved ones. Of neighbors volunteering everything {including their kitchen sink} to make those lost feel welcome during such a bewildering time by giving them something to drink or eat or a bathroom to clean up in. Of Bostonians all over the city posting their information on a google document offering up beds, sofas, and cuddly pets so that anyone dislodged could feel at home.
It's as if all of these people had lifted a candle to the sky to break away the dark shadow that had been cast. And the MLK quote projected on a wall in New York was the perfect choice:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
And while yes, these harmful acts are slowly becoming our reality {it is the nature of the world to cast a dark shadow after all}, humanity will always answer to the call when darkness tries to overtake us. Because good will always overcome.
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