The Winds of Change

The winds of change are everywhere!  This spring Wisconsin weather sometimes offers four seasons in a day.  30 degree weather in the morning, 76 by afternoon and falling back to 30 by bedtime. Rapid and frequent change make it hard to prepare for what is coming. And every change has an emotion to go with it.  So how do we cope with rapid fire change?  We do the best we can–together.  We talk with each other. We find ways to be productive. We encourage and help each other.  And we have fun together! When you learn how to do this in the midst of change–you are officially resilient!  

According to Google . . . A resilient person is someone who can adapt well to difficult situations, bounce back from adversity, and maintain well-being despite challenges. They possess the ability to overcome obstacles and grow from difficult experiences. 

Nice! We all want to become resilient. Spoiler alert: it develops faster intergenerationally!

According to the Oxford dictionary, a resilient person or animal is . . . able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Their definition for a resilient substance or object is relatable too   . . . able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed. Responding to the effects of change is work.

A touching example of responding to change happened recently with a wonderful staff person at Hope & A Future. We are currently working with people who are going through many challenging health changes. Most of these changes cannot be cured. We work to help residents know they have safe friends at their side and that we want them to be comfortable and enjoy the day. At times we feel stretched and even want to recoil when we see intermittent discomfort.  One very lovely staff person expressed that they thought they should stop working here because they might not know enough to care for all of the changing needs. 

The thought of losing this wonderful employee led to a night of interrupted sleep for me.  And this is why.  This person sincerely cares about people. They do the work and clearly enjoy taking time to talk over a cup of coffee to enjoy special moments with residents.  This staff person adds joy, kindness and happy energy to our lives and projects the kind of peaceful safety you feel when you know you are with someone who cares about you.  When I found time to sit down to talk with this caregiver, I shared that as a nurse who lives with the people we care for, I often feel able to teach caregivers what they need to know to provide care and meet needs.  But I do not feel that I can teach people to genuinely enjoy other people. And to me, that is the most important quality of this job. And I feel very fortunate to have this person and other lovely caregivers with this quality working here! I added that none of us have all of the answers. And even if we know what we would want if we needed help, if the person cannot talk with us, we may not know what they want. A long time ago I decided that when we are not sure of the “best approach”, the “best” thing to do is engage the team of people that care about and for this person.  And problem solve together.  In the process we will learn, grow and have the opportunity to support each other. The result of this process is greater resilience. That is actually the Hope & A Future model–problem solving that leads to greater resilience for all generations. We do our best together!  I am very happy to report that this terrific person is still a strong part of our team!  

No matter what new challenges we face in life, having a strong team to face them with helps! And when you are blessed with an intergenerational team–it is even better!  More ways of looking at potential solutions expands our minds and hearts.

With the winds of change we are navigating how moving forward with our expansion will be affected. We are grateful for our advisors! And we are grateful for you! Together we will grow! 

On a less sincere note, while I was telling our Capital Campaign Committee about our wonderful staff one board member said–when you are concerned you may not be doing enough–you are already a wonderful employee.  Another board member chimed in with a smirk on his face saying, “Well you know what George Burns says . . . “The key to success is sincerity . . . once you learn how to fake that, you have it made!”  We all laughed with the full knowledge that people working and volunteering at Hope & A Future are doing it with very big and very sincere hearts. Yet, being able to joke and laugh is an important part of resilience too!  

Enjoy the day!

Karin