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Nasly Roa Noriega (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

Is it really possible to adapt to any situation, no matter how frustrating it may seem? I believe it is. And is it possible to teach others how to handle their situations? I also believe it is possible, and I believe it because I have had the opportunity to meet people who have been coldly hit by unexpected situations, and today, though memories of pain drag footprints through their memories, their hearts reflect grateful lives.

I have worked in social projects supporting and motivating many families that were hit hard by violence, and a big part of my work was to meet them and help them in activities that would allow them to turn their lives around and allow them to leave behind those traces marked by pain; however, when listening to them I never imagined that they would be the ones to give me a lesson in resilience.

From that moment my life began to change. I was impressed by how life teaches us to face unexpected situations and move forward.

When I made my first contact with a group of about 50 people to coordinate the activities that we would do together, I remember that I saw many motivated and cheerful faces, willing to receive training and motivational talks, but I never imagined how marked their lives were and how their memories accompanied them at night. 

It was in the first home visits when I got to know in depth the unexpected situations they had to go through, tears rolled so many times down their cheeks, but they disappeared slightly within their silent but tender expressions and smiles of gratitude for having received another opportunity in their lives.

Death knocking on their doors and them having to go out in the middle of the night to escape from it were among the shocking stories of people who gave me lessons in resilience. Listening to them wrinkled my heart and made me think about the courage that a person must have to face so many consecutive situations and not weaken or faint. I admired how they found the strength to face uncertain destinies in unknown places, how they started from scratch, and how even today they still kept those tender and kind smiles. They still greet me with effusiveness as if I had changed their lives, when they were the ones who gave a life lesson to mine.

Is it possible to teach resilience? Of course it is possible. When I asked one of my students, a 60-year-old woman who had been deeply affected by the loss of her husband and her son, how she had kept her heart from hardening from so much suffering, she simply answered, “Remembering the best moments I lived with them, letting the pain accompany me, but not take over me, and most importantly thanking God every day for being alive to remember them, sharing with others who accompanied me a lot and feeling that I could help others to manage the feelings of sadness made me draw strength to help myself and others.”

Every night those words echoed in my head and I understood that it was possible to face unfortunate and sad situations, and that it seemed that, while facing inexplicable pain can break us down, having the strength to take that pain and manage it was the path to resilience.

With the life experiences that I faced daily in my work, my ability to adapt to situations was improving, and every day I was focused on nurturing that resilience in the new people who came into my life. I knew that those lessons were in every walk together, in every activity we did, in every step they climbed. I learned with them that, to face a situation, you cannot do it alone, because loneliness encloses you and consumes you and does not let you see a clearer picture.

We have all faced different situations at some time in our lives, and just as they come into our lives, they either get dragged to the corners of our memories or become pieces of our heart.  

Being in contact with real experiences taught me to understand the importance of resilience, and that it is possible not only to teach others to face the pain but also to learn from others how life can change us in the blink of an eye, and that starting from scratch is not failure but a new opportunity in this fleeting life.

I thank so many people who have marked my life with their life experiences and I thank all of them for helping me understand what resilience means. Thank you.

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Hello, my name is Nasly Roa Noriega, I am a writer by birth and inspiration always comes to me at any time and / or place, for that reason I always carry my writing notebook everywhere. As a child I was shy and introverted but when it came to reading my writings in front of many people my shyness began to disappear. Over time my love for writing has become my passion and I always pass it on to everyone who needs motivation.