There is a lot of talk about resilience these days – the capacity to recover from difficulties. Since Covid-19 landed among us, we have had to respond, adapt, and adjust in various ways.  

I came across the following paragraph which I found helpful:  

“We often talk about the story of Aron Ralston from the movie 127 Hours. It’s a gritty story of personal strength and fortitude. If you don’t know the story, while hiking, Aron’s arm was pinned beneath an 800-pound boulder and he had to cut his arm off to survive.  Yes, the guy’s tough as nails. However, an aspect of the story that we often discuss with our staff and congregation is that he was hiking alone, and he did not tell anyone where he was going. That’s incredibly dangerous.

When you hike alone and no one knows where you are, if you get into trouble, no one has your back.  Who are you hiking with during this season? Who has your back right now?

Who is going to come looking for you when you get into a tough spot? Who has permission to ask you questions about your moral boundaries? Who in your life has permission to tell you that it’s time to take a break before you crash?  

Don’t hike alone. Community and accountability are critical to staying healthy and avoiding burnout, especially in this season.” 

We can be resilient when we know we can lean on others. Krishna invites us to lean on Him all the time. Knowing we need help here and there is one thing, but we are often reluctant to ask for help, and it’s sometimes even harder to receive it gracefully. Our shame gremlins make a lot of noise and often prevent us from opening up.  

Look for ways to practice that. Accept help when it is offered, and offer to help when you can! It may be a small thing, but like many small things, it can make the world of difference. It can lighten our often self-imposed load on this path of bhakti-yoga and simultaneously banish loneliness and despair to the hills.