My husband had a dream that I was kayaking in white water with a big smile on my face. He had this dream during the time I was interviewing for this position at The River Center. It has been prophetic. It certainly has had that whitewater paddling feel; sometimes I am drifting in calm waters, and other days I am paddling with everything in me to keep the boat afloat.
Well, isn’t life like that for all of us? Some days are calm, other days turbulent. What is the element that keeps us paddling forward? What keeps us powering through the turbulent waters of life? We develop something called resilience.
Resilience is defined as the ability to adjust to or recover from adversity or major life changes. Or, for the sake of this analogy, we say we are able to go with the flow. Being resilient means that we plan for the inevitable turbulence, we wear our life jackets, we never whitewater alone and when we capsize, we pop out of the water and swim to shore.
Building resilience runs through everything we do at The River Center. We offer programs that allow parents and caregivers to meet other families and receive support and encouragement for the challenges of raising children. Meeting others who are also raising a 2-year-old, a 10-year-old, a teenager, helps us realize we are not alone. They are also lacking a good night’s sleep. They are trying to figure it out, just like you.
Parents have the opportunity to meet with other parents and our staff to talk about parenting challenges and explore different ways to address them successfully. Young children can meet and play with other children of similar age. New parents are relieved to be with other new parents and learn practical techniques for soothing teething pain, gassy tummies and the baby blues. Again, we learn we are not alone and we are resilient.
Being resilient means being prepared for the unexpected, and the health of our bank accounts is a determining factor. Working with one of our money-coach volunteers to develop a plan to pay off credit card debt can relieve a burdensome load of stress. Low- and moderate-income households can have their tax returns completed for free at The River Center. Placing part of the tax refund in a savings account can be an important tool for resilience — allowing a family to replace the tires, fix the broken window or buy that winter coat.
So, resilience runs through The River Center. Check out all we have to offer at rivercenternh.org. Have fun paddling through those rapids – you’re ready for them!
Margaret Nelson is executive director of The River Center in Peterborough.