I had an experience one morning, walking across Central Park, that totally captivated me.  As I entered the park, I noticed a bright red cardinal sitting on the edge of one of the trash cans that are scattered here and there.  I was enchanted to be so close to this beautiful bird and to watch him as he worked his way into the trash and find food.

First, I was totally captivated by the color and beauty the cardinal embodied.  Cardinals are one of my favorite birds here in New York.  I not only love their color, but their song is wonderful, as well.  To be up so close to a cardinal, not up in a tree, and not flying, away was totally enchanting.  I spent quite a few minutes watching the bird, and people walking by also stopped to look at him.  It isn’t every day that we have an opportunity to be almost eye to eye with one of the feathered creatures in Central Park and this was a special treat to many of us.

As I finally walked along – and if I hadn’t had to get to my office in order to be on time I certainly would have continued just to stare at the delightful activity unfolding in front of me – I thought about the depth of resilience and adaptability the cardinal demonstrated as he found food in the trash can.  I doubt that trash is the first, instinctual food source for cardinals, but this male had figured out how to adapt himself to this ready source of food.  This got me to thinking about the resilience of our underlying capacity to adapt to what life offers us.  When we’re given lemons, how do we manage, so often, to make lemonade?

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to be mindful of the ways in which you have adapted to what life has brought your way.  If you’ve faced challenges, how have you moved through them to discover resources along the way?  What skills or responses have you had to develop in order to adapt to changing life circumstances?  How have you used your experiences to deepen, strengthen, or expand your capacities and your sense of yourself?

As with all the experiments, there’s no right answer for this one.  The key here is to notice how resilient and adaptable you are by nature, and to explore how you have moved through challenges that have presented themselves.  There are times we meet challenges with creativity and ease, and there are times when we find ourselves increasingly stuck in the presence of a challenge we don’t immediately know how to meet.  Whatever the quality of your response to what life brings your way, this week’s experiment offers an opportunity to bring awareness to your responses.  As always, with awareness you have an opportunity to expand your capacity to choose or, at the very least, to be aware of the choices you make along the way.