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My family and I are on a mini vacation camping in Corpus Christi (thank goodness the pop-up came with ac!).  We decided to take the kiddos to see the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier nicknamed the “Blue Ghost” because the Japanese Navy reported it had sunk the ship…on four separate occasions.  Talk about resilient!

We had an opportunity to see a 3D movie, while we were touring the ship, about humanitarian efforts to Haiti that the various services had been involved in. I knew the effort was big, but to see it on screen and show all the countries that volunteered their services to assist Haiti…well, it took my breath away. One of the Canadian Navy ships was out to sea on a training mission when it was called to assist.  The Captain, in an interview, stated (okay this is paraphrased) that his men were getting antsy and bored on their 4 month training mission…but when they were called for a real mission, they all came together, putting aside their own issues, for a cause greater than themselves and performed seamlessly.

I understood that completely.  I’ve been part of missions like that (not quite of that magnitude, but a large effort) and to see what we, as humans, are capable of when we come together is astonishing.  Much like the Blue Ghost, humans are resilient.

So, when you are having a tough time, in any aspect of your life, remember that there is truly strength in numbers.  And if you are one that has been through a similar tough time, be the strength…show others what resilience looks like.

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Okay, so I find it interesting how important messages will convey themselves.  I was in the car this morning listening to a discussion on XM radio (on of my few splurges) and couldn’t wait to come home and update the blog.  The conversation was on community.   The gentleman speaking (sorry, I caught the middle of the program and didn’t catch his name) was saying that humans cannot function effectively when they are completely alone.  He eloquently explained humans, not being a body, but as all being part of a body.  Some people are the hands, some the feet, others the eyes, ears, legs, etc.  The entire body cannot fully function if there is a hand or foot missing.  What an Ah-Ha moment for me!

He continued on about a 2008 study that was conducted in regards to people wearing weighted backpacks and assessing the steepness of a hill. What the researchers discovered was the people that were with a friend looking at the hill saw the hill as less steep.  Those that were alone had a greater estimation of the hill’s steepness.  Interestingly, the longer the people were friends the less steep the hill was estimated as being.  Just knowing there was someone else there, was enough to make the challenge (the steep hill) attainable.

Back to his conversation on community.  When there is a challenge to overcome, people do not take it on completely alone.  It is our instinct to seek out support and assistance.  This gentleman validated what I said earlier in this blog, there is strength in numbers.

So, remember we are all part of a so-called “community body”.  You may be the leg, eye, foot or hand…but know that your role is just as important as the person next to you in making the “community body” fully functional.

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Donna Hoffmeyer