I asked my parents what it was like for them when I was born. My dad was a PhD student and they both worked opposite hours to ensure I was cared for. Little money. We lived in an empty apartment, with only a bed on the floor. It was hard to visualize, but then I saw this picture.

Life is wild, unpredictable, and beautiful, and I take nothing for granted. Sitting on the living room floor of my family home, looking through old pictures makes me realize how much I have to be grateful for. I needed this.

They're off fishing somewhere off the west coast of Vancouver Island, and I just picked (stole) some fresh tomatoes from their garden to eat on my salad tonight. Blows my mind. For me to be able to live a life where I feel safe, am healthy and can pursue my passion...is unreal.

Contrasting their lives to my own... My teenage Dad escaped the Bangladesh genocide to literally walk to a refugee camp in India, have his family's possessions stolen in the war, coping with the loss of his Dad to cancer, and then deciding to immigrate to Canada to go to school.

My Mom's parents leaft India to escape restrictive class systems and took their family to Revelstoke BC, where my Grandpa spend his life as a labourer for CP Rail and my grandmother struggled to get a job, despite having a master's. They had to deal with a lot of terrible stuff.

When I get caught up in the "stresses" in my life, it helps to remember my context. Not to minimize my own experience, but to remember the resilience I come from. I'm sure you all have your own stories of resilience and I think it's important to connect with them once in a while.

I reread the thread this morning and noticed a few writing errors. I wrote it moments after seeing the picture, so I was a little overcome with emotion. With candor and spontaneity comes error? Anyhow, here's a picture of my lovely parents with a giant pan of paella. I love them.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments and for sharing their own stories of resilience. The pandemic has made me reflect on resilience and how, during challenging times, we must dig deep to gather strength. It's been an intense 2020. I'm proud of all of you. Be well, folks.