Collective Resilience

Last night when Quiera posted in the group chat about the passing of Chadwick Boseman, I honestly went to Google to see who she was referring to because it couldn't have been The Black Panther. It just couldn't be him. It just couldn't be another incredible loss for us. Not right now. It just couldn't be. After settling into the reality of this loss, I went directly to YouTube to find an episode of Black Jeapordy that makes me laugh every time I see it like it's my first time seeing it. I needed to laugh last night. 

2020 has been a year of unimaginable loss, sickness, destruction, brutality, disappointment, isolation and gratitude. Yes, gratitude. Through our collectives losses we have shown collective resilience. From Kobe to Covid, to George, to Breonna, to Ahmad, to Jacob, and now to Chad. It's been hard, sad and tearful and yet we show up for each other, whether it's 6 feet apart with our masks on, on Zoom for a meetup or on social media just trying to make sense out of everything . And it's so much at one time to try to make sense of.

Resilience. An ability to recover after being stretched. We come from ancestors who endured and survived many adversities. We not only honor that, we also have to acknowledge that we carry that resilience within ourselves too. Maybe we never knew it was there until now. There's a meme that suggests that we check on our strong friends, we are honestly at the point where we need to check on each other often and gently with loving kindness. Many of us are not well and it seems that each unexpected blow hits harder and harder. It's leaving us to question so many things, like our faith and God, and still not have an answer for any of it. 

Yet, I offer this. 2020 was slated as the year of vision. It's been hard to see through everything that has come at us but just maybe this is the year to hone in on our purpose while we are still living. To put the seeds in the earth, through our pain, heartache and discomfort, that will honor our legacy. Maybe 2020 is that year where we are stretched uncontrollably beyond our comfort zone to ultimately realize the resilience that lies within us.