As a New Yorker, I know the dangers of a heavy snowstorm. Sometimes we get feet of snow with drifts that bury cars and sidewalks and collapse rooftops. (I realize this is a stretch to imagine in sweltering July, but trust me, it won't be long). Yet when a healthy tree limb encounters the storm, it has a good chance of weathering the burden because it is able to bend. It has bowed and swayed with every breeze, every rainstorm, and every scampering squirrel. And with each movement, the branch has become stronger. That's nature's way: to accept what comes and keep on growing!
We, too, are resilient by nature--as children show us every day. (Remember the days of, "Anyone got a band-aid for this giant cut? Great. Play on!") And now, science has proven that resilience--or the ability to overcome and even grow through adversity--is the rule, not the exception, for people of all ages. In a 2004 study by Linley and Joseph, up to 70% of people who had encountered a trauma reported positive psychological growth as a result of the challenging time.