During a recent business trip, strolling through the airport, I happened upon fleeting yet profound instances of human connection and joy: a mother and daughter holding hands. Young sisters giggled nearby as their parents watched, smiling. A poignant, heartwarming conversation with a recently widowed woman, who was joining her son and his family on a Caribbean cruise.
During a recent ramble in Portland’s Hoyt Arboretum with Linda (my wife and walking buddy), I experienced a surprising turn of events that filled me with a newfound appreciation for curiosity. My unspoken plan was the usual brisk march through the tree museum to hit my target heart rate. But Linda had a markedly different agenda — she was on a mission to track down the Dawn Redwoods we knew existed but had never seen.
Several days after leading a 90-minute resilience webinar for over 800 federal employees, the impact of what had transpired truly sank in. I had asked each participant to think of a personal resilience role model and describe them in three words.