Resilience: The ability to adapt well to adversity, to bounce back from difficult times, to deal with tragedy, whether it be a national disaster, or a personal one, such as the loss of a spouse. Skills and attitudes that can be learned, that build resilience, include Self Confidence. Having a positive self image is critical if a person is to be able to control and manage fear and anxiety in his or her life.
A new character synopses is being added each month, beginning in December 2007.
Jean (added December 21, 2007)
Jean is a petite woman with green eyes and a fair complexion. Since she retired from her work in the lab she has become more athletic. She has had time to ski and bike with her husband, Ian. The worry lines and wrinkles of her early 40s are gone. But she is alone now. Ian was killed in an accident a few months ago. She is an American who has spent most of her life in Europe. She took a job there in the mid 70s after graduate school. She is an independent soul. Smart. Self-confident. But she feels the need to return to the States. To reconnect with her family. To look up an old friend. Actually, an old lover whom she hasn't seen for years. She writes him and tries to call him but receives no response. She goes to Boston to an apartment that she and her husband would use when they came to the States on business. She returns late one evening after having dinner with friends to find her old lover standing at the door of her apartment building. He is arguing with the doorman who is threatening to call the police.
Jean is one of the main characters in Reaching Home, a novel by Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. about conquering fear and building resilience. Jean's story, and others from Reaching Home are part of Maine Resilience, a project of Alpha One, Maine's Independent Living Center. The goal of Maine Resilience is to teach the skills and attitudes that can help people manage adversity and bounce back whether the tragedy is a national one, like a hurricane, or a private challenge, like the loss of a spouse.
Robert (added January 30, 2008)
Robert is a large man. A man in desperate need of a haircut and a shave. But he doesn’t care. He lives alone. He is a caretaker for an Inn that is closed for the winter. He won’t see another human being until the ice is out. And that, he hopes, will not be for another couple of months. He likes his own company. At least that’s what he tells himself. He hasn’t been out of the County in years. He only ventured out once and that was a disaster. People, he feels, have not treated him right. He blames it on the Cerebral Palsy and the seizures. Two people are supposed to be coming to stay at the Inn. Just for a few days his friend tells him. If they come, they’ll be on their own, he thinks. I’m not an Innkeeper, just a caretaker. They probably won’t come. No one comes during the winter. But then he hears footsteps on the porch outside and voices.
Robert is one of the characters in Reaching Home, a novel by Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. about conquering fear and building resilience. Robert’s story, and others from Reaching Home are part of Maine Resilience, a project of Alpha One, Maine’s Independent Living Center. The goal of Maine Resilience is to teach the skills and attitudes that can help people manage adversity in their lives and bounce back whether the tragedy is a national one, like a hurricane, or a private challenge, like a serious illness.
Howard (added February 28, 2008)
Howard wears large glasses with black, plastic frames. He is slightly balding. He is dressed in grey coveralls and a pair of old work boots. A long chain runs from his belt to his wallet in the rear pocket of his coveralls. A toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and an assortment of pens and pencils are tucked tightly into the coverall’s outer breast pocket. Howard is homeless. He has been on the streets for years.
Most of Howard’s family is either dead or they will have nothing to do with him. Howard has a mental illness. He has been treated in institutions and placed on medications which he refuses to take. He once had a wife and children but they are gone now. The children are in foster care or adopted—he’s not sure. He just knows he doesn’t see them anymore. He doesn’t know where his wife is. He has spent the night on the floor of the Goodwill store. When the bus came to the shelter yesterday to evacuate its residents he refused to leave. He ran away. Most of the residents of the city he has lived most of his life in are gone. They have left because of an accident at a DOE facility near the city. A nuclear accident. That’s what the police say but Howard doesn’t believe them. He thinks they’re just trying to scare people to get them to leave and not come back. Howard decides he will go back to the shelter to get some of his clothes. He opens the door to the street. No sign of the police or the soldiers.
Howard is one of the characters in Reaching Home, a novel by Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. about conquering fear and building resilience. Howard’s story, and others from Reaching Home are part of Maine Resilience, a project of Alpha One, Maine’s Independent Living Center. The goal of Maine Resilience is to teach the skills and attitudes that can help people manage adversity and bounce back whether the tragedy is a national one, like an accident at a nuclear facility, or a private challenge, like a severe mental illness.
Stella (added March 28, 2008)
Resilience: The ability to adapt well to adversity, to bounce back from difficult times, to deal with tragedy, whether it be a national disaster like a hurricane or a personal one, such as losing a loved one. There are a number of skills and attitudes that can be learned that can build resilience. Being able to manage strong feelings is one of these. This requires the ability to take action without behaving impulsively and responding out of emotion, putting emotions to the side when clear thinking and action are required. Being able to use thinking as a way of managing one’s emotions is a key component of this skill.
Stella’s the Manager. She manages the gift shop at a tourist attraction in the mountains of West Virginia. An old, deep mine. She gives tours. She has been working there since she lost her husband and her family in Tennessee. She just couldn’t stay there. Not after her son’s death. She had been able to deal with everything else. An abusive, alcoholic stepfather. A husband who wouldn’t work and drank just like her step dad. The poverty of the mountains. The isolation. But when Thomas died it was just too much. She had to leave.
It is the off season and the attraction is closed. She has a small apartment attached to the back of the gift shop. She keeps an eye on the mine and the shop during the winter. She loads the old 12 gage shotgun she keeps for protection. Stella thought she saw someone near the entrance to the mine shaft earlier in the day. It was probably just her imagination. But Bob has been so good to her. She doesn’t want to let him down. Stella doesn’t want anything to happen. She picks up her light and Old Betsy, the 12 gage, just for luck and, opening the door, she starts up the hill to the mine’s entrance, moving quickly over the bed of coal and rock that cover the ground.
Stella is one of the main characters in Reaching Home, a novel by Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. about conquering fear and building resilience. Stella’s story, and others from Reaching Home are part of Maine Resilience, a project of Alpha One, The Maine Independent Living Center. The program teaches the skills and attitudes that can help people manage adversity and bounce back whether the tragedy is a national one, like a hurricane, or a private challenge, like the loss of a child.
Jim (added April 30, 2008)
Resilience: The ability to adapt well to adversity, to bounce back from difficult times, to deal with tragedy, whether it be a national disaster, such as Vietnam, or a personal one, such as an injury or disability. Skills and attitudes that can be learned, that build resilience, include being able to communicate well and problem solve both individually and with others. This includes basic communication, listening and problem solving skills.
Jim is a truck driver. It seems like he has been driving all his life. Well at least since he came back from Vietnam. Moving around seemed to be the only thing that helped him relax. But in his late 50s the driving has gotten harder. He got 20% on his legs from Nam. But they bother him more now. Jim was married once. He has a child too. He hasn’t seen her in years. He’s never seen his grandchildren. But he’s got his truck, a fire engine red, Peterbilt 379 with a massive polished aluminum grille and bumper and double polished aluminum stacks. And Jim’s got his partner, Ben. That’s good and bad. Ben’s an alcoholic.
But Jim’s got other friends he’s met on the road, like Millie. Jim has known Millie for years. Nothing romantic. Tonight she has asked a favor of Jim. Can he give a ride to a guy who is down on his luck? He needs a ride to Boston. It’s against company policy but Jim doesn’t always go by company policy.
Jim is one of the main characters in Reaching Home, a novel by Ron Breazeale, Ph.D. about conquering fear and building resilience. Jim’s story, and others from Reaching Home are part of Maine Resilience, a project of Alpha One, Maine’s Independent Living Center. Maine Resilience’s goal is to teach the skills and attitudes that can help people manage adversity in their lives and bounce back whether the tragedy is a national one, like Vietnam, or a private challenge, like a disability.
To learn more about Reaching Home and Maine Resilience explore this website or call Alpha One at 1-800-640-7200 or 207-767-2189. Get involved. Get your organization involved. Participate in the programs and workshops. Become a Sponsor or a Resilience Coach or both.