Stretch a Rubber Band Enough Times and It Won’t Bounce Back

“It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature” (Bram Stoker, Dracula). Developmental psychologists (I’m one) tout the importance of nurturing resilience in children. COVID-19 has tested everyone’s resilience. I adapted to the restrictions; as Robert Jordan wrote in The Fires of Heaven, “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” I didn’t snap, although I occasionally felt snappish. But just as I was easing back toward normal, reimposed restrictions in response to the virus’s resurgence have strained my elasticity. Stretch a rubber band enough times and it will no longer bounce back. More thoughts at REFLECTIONS.

Resilience has its limits
Why writers write: “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” – Ray Bradbury

Author: annsepstein@att.net

Ann S. Epstein is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories, memoirs, and essays.

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