Resilience

On this much cooler Friday morning, I am looking through the window from my seat on my train ride to Montreal and admiring the beautiful trees and the leaves with all of those vibrant colours.

I’m listening to the song Reflektor from Arcade Fire and I’m so saddened to know that so many people are losing their love ones and their homes, but not their spirits in hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions.

I feel so helpless but seeing their resilience gives me, and probably you, the strength to keep going and continue showing them compassion. Maybe even showing some compassion to those less fortunate in our own country.

I was so moved to learn that in Bali, the Balinese are making kitchen appliances and toilets at their refugee camps. Instead of playing the victim, they are choosing to be resilient and strong.

There is this beautiful, strong woman called Kalek. She is Balinese and a mother of two beautiful children. Kalek, her family members, workers, and other Balinese have taken others under their wings, ensuring that they have food and a place to stay.

When you hear stories like this, your heart just melts. It brings me more faith in humanity. Kind people are still around us. We just have to open our eyes and our hearts.

I feel so blessed and lucky in life but sometimes, in a way, I have this survivor‘s guilt and helplessness. But, by talking about these issues on The Chronicle, I hope I can help in any capacity to raise awareness and perhaps bring myself some closure too.

In Canada, there is an amazing charity called The Shoebox Project. Actually, it’s very literal, you put items in a shoebox such as creams lotion, lipstick, shampoo bottles, anything you can think that a woman may need.

The foundation will give those boxes to women in shelters within the country. Caroline, Jessica, Vanessa, and Katy Mulroney are the force being this wonderful charity. The really cool part is that it can even be a project done internationally. I find it powerful that four sisters, four compassionate womens are giving back to the society like this. It’s really a powerful message and an act of unity.