buoyancy

noun

1. the power to float or rise in a fluid; relative lightness.
2. lightness or resilience of spirit; cheerfulness.


I headed out this afternoon for my usual 5 mile walk, on what can only be called a "teaser" of a day --- mind you, I'm in Denver, where March is historically one of the snowiest months, but today it had to be near 70 degrees, the sun was intense, the sky was that only-in-Colorado azure blue, and no wind (truly a rarity in March!) --- and it felt like full-fledged springtime. What a tease Mother Nature has been lately --- just last week we had several days in the 70's! I didn't even bring a coat along as I walked --- and as we native Coloradans know, you always bring a coat along! While walking I had a clearer mind which helped me to think about many things, as I always do during my jaunts, and one decision was that the word for my blog today was going to be "buoyancy" because that's what I was experiencing in the season with such a glorious day, and because it describes my decided frame-of-mind for my life on a daily basis!

Unfortunately, this was also a day in which I had to visit a former student (and her mom, a former teaching colleague and neighbor from eastern Colorado days), who is in the ICU at a local hospital after a too-close call to death this past week because of one of these stubborn colds that worsened rapidly and dramatically. The girl is in what is similar to an induced coma, and is not yet stable, but her family had been told that it is lucky that she is young because it would have likely killed an older person! If that doesn't stop you in your tracks -----!!! The girl is a student I taught when she was in fourth grade, and she is one of those kids who touched my heart back then and whose growing-up events I've been allowed to watch through Facebook, and because I've loved her for so long, I've watched her bounce back from some difficulties she's faced in her short life ---- which I know has helped her build a determined spirit that is strong enough to fight through this illness, and will allow her to bounce back to graduate and move on with her life-plans. She is a bright spark to me . . . and her cheerfulness, both back when she was my student, and during the years we've kept in contact, has always been encouraging and inspiring.

Also serving as a reminder of bold resiliency and a remarkable ability to bounce back is my son, Jeff, and a recent disappointment he's faced with baseball. Despite what could have been one of the most heart-rendering events in his life, he set his mind to only look forward with his head held high, continuing to live life with great gusto and a "no regrets" attitude. Many in his situation wouldn't have had such a strong outlook. His buoyancy has always been heartening to me.

Then I thought about the role of buoyancy in my own life. I have been deep in thought about some personal things lately, nothing too dramatic, but things that make me ponder about whether decisions I'm making have been strong ones . . . and even with all of the inner work I've been doing and in all of the reading and listening I've done with the myriad books I've inundated myself with, I'm sorry to say that it took me some time before I realized/remembered that the positiveness and love I put out into the Universe is what I will reap in return ---- while instead I've been focusing on the dark and uncertain feelings I'm dealing with. But with that one realization, in one swift moment, I absolutely changed my whole perspective --- and added a very certain buoyancy to my heart, and my step. It truly was like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and I immediately smiled and picked up the pace of my walk a little bit! Was it that I'd decided that it all comes down to maintaining an outlook that focuses on what is good in my life, versus what could be considered frustrating and difficult? Perhaps. Was it because I so badly want "the right" answer, but am reminded that I have the answers within, once I let them come, and when I "trust the process?" Yes, definitely. And is it because to be worried and over-reactive is a drain on my energy, and ultimately opens my thinking to negativity? That, too!

It has almost become second nature for me to look to the good, and away from the frustrations I sometimes feel, but once in awhile I need a little boost, like today as I headed out on my walk. I wish that focusing on the positive was always my natural first reaction, but I'm still working on that. Yet I am hoping that I can keep in my heart and in my mind the enlightened feeling I have today, along with the buoyancy that comes from realizing the overall truth, which is that with the right perspective, nothing is too overwhelming, and I will always bounce back . . . and always for the better.