I’m not much for New Years resolutions. I find it more satisfying to have resolve year-round. To reassess my goals and realign my intentions more often than once a year. Sometimes I use the moon cycles to remind me of that practice. Sometimes I am just forced by circumstances to find a balance that I have misplaced somehow. To access my inner resilience in the face of something that has upset my inner compass.

And so this week I was reminded, with a strong swipe, of the necessity and need for resilience. I see resilience as the ability to regain original form and to thrive and fulfill potential in spite of adversity or difficult circumstances. That is what I am seeing now in our gardens. A week ago we were in the throes of a nasty strong kona storm which had us reeling. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what that means here is the scoop. . . Usually on beautiful Kauai we are blessed by a trade wind pattern of weather. The wind comes from an east-northeast direction, bringing mostly a light steady wind to keep us refreshed and passing showers to keep everything green. When the winds switch around to the south-southeast there is usually hell to pay. And so it was. Day after day. No wind. And rain as if someone were holding a bucket over Kauai and dumping water heavily and consistently. There were flash floods and thunder and lightening. And our gardens took a beating.

Now we have returned to trade winds and the blessed sunshine.  In the wake of that chaos we are tending the gardens with gentle hoeing, a light foliar spray of fish emulsion and seaweed extract, and some intention. In just a few days time, we can see the results. Already the baby starts are rebounding and the adolescent ones showing sure signs of resilience. The plants are thriving in spite of their adversities. With a little help from us.

And, so I see that in our own setbacks are remedied not only by our own tenacity of spirit, but from the support we receive from our family and friends. Resilience is a quality of character that allows us to rebound from misfortune, hardships or trauma. But, the simple presence or kind encouragement of a loved one can provide so much more grace in the course of that process.

So I shall continue to trust in the resilience of our land and of my own spirit. To know that we are capable of facing whatever might come our way and emerging unharmed or even better for the experience.

May your New Year be full of all you wish for. Hold steadfast to your intentions. Smile often and laugh heartily. And don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s rarely worth it.

after the rains, the rainbow