Friday and Saturday we had our annual – ” You may think Summer is next month, but you are delusional ” snow storm here in Colorado.  Happens almost every May…one last reminder from Old Man Winter that he does not want to leave!  Not complaining as we need the moisture…desperately!  It is usually a very wet, heavy snow…almost like wet cement.  This can cause flowers, plants and tree limbs to snap and break under the tremendous weight of the snow.

The picture above is what that the trees in my front yard looked like on Saturday morning.  To put in context, the little brown spot in the lower left-hand corner? That is my sidewalk!  The branches where touching the sidewalk under the weight of the snow.

This picture is Sunday afternoon of the exact same tree after the snow started to melt.  I’m always in awe of the resilience that trees and bushes in Colorado have.  Pretty amazing, isn’t it?! That’s because native trees and shrubs are designed in such a way that they bend, but don’t break.  Their branches are very flexible.  They are able to quite literally, weather the storm.  

What about you? Are you in a storm right now? Are you feeling the weight of ________ (whatever it is – work, life, family, friends) weighing you down? We all need to develop a bend, but not break mentality. It’s one of the reasons why I am such a big believer in a healthy Work-Life integration.

While all branches have a breaking point (I did lose 4 limbs, but no trees or shrubs) overall they are pretty resilient.  We all have our breaking point. It looks different for each one of us. I used to push and push myself…until I almost burned myself and those around me out. I’ve learned the hard way how critical it is to make sure I am in a place mentally and physically where I bend…but don’t break!

I encourage you on this road you are travelling to build a self-awareness about where your breaking point is. What do you need to do to build resiliency and build a bend, but not break mentality? We can’t always avoid the storm or the weight we are felling/carrying…but we can develop ways to build resiliency.