Change Happens—Embracing the Evolution of Our Lives
Some changes look negative on the surface
but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life
for something new to emerge.~Eckhart Tolle
“I wish things could go back to the way they were…”
How often have you experienced a life-changing event and wished you could go back to the way it was before? Do you wish that certain things would remain the way they are forever?
There are a lot of reasons why people desire stability—they want their families to stay alive and stay healthy, they want to be comfortable financially, they want to be happy—we constantly take steps to give our lives a sense of permanence. We buy a house, save money, buy insurance, and in other ways try to guard the lives to which we’ve become accustomed.
Change is permanent
Some changes in our lives we look forward to and are a natural part of life, such as getting a job, making friends, having a family, and watching our kids grow up. Certain changes are generally thought of as positive. Even though our lives are changing, we view them as changing for the better.
Some changes in our lives have negative effects, such as death and disease.
Some changes are in our control, and some changes just happen. Some are considered positive, while others can only be thought of as negative. But the fact remains: Our lives are constantly changing—that we cannot change.
The world is changing. Society is changing. Individual people are changing.
You are changing. You’re changing right now.
Every experience we have, everything we learn, every hardship we suffer, every pleasure we enjoy—they change us.
Embrace the changes in your life
Permanence is a myth, and time spent trying to keep things the way they are is ultimately time wasted. That’s not to say we shouldn’t try to hang on to the things that make us happy, but in doing so, we can accept the nature of change and try to influence specific changes.
Take marriage for example. Marriages—as any married person will tell you—are unruly, irrepressible beasts that can’t be tamed, and we shouldn’t try to. If we accept that marriages are dynamic, we can treat them as adventures rather than as responsibilities.
We will always want to keep our kids safe, but as we let them out into the world—little by little—we are accepting the fact that our children are facing the risks that the world entails, as well as the rewards. Our children are growing—they are changing.
Change is both exciting and hopeful. No matter what our circumstances, there is always the possibility that something new, exciting, and different will come into our lives. In fact, it’s guaranteed. What isn’t guaranteed is whether we’ll recognize those opportunities and take advantage of them.
Keep in mind the bumper sticker, “Change Happens” (well, I’m paraphrasing). Hackneyed, yes, but it’s about acceptance and attitude. We can go through our days on guard against threats to our stability, or we can spend each day open to new people, new experiences, new realities, and run with it. We can try to cast our children in a specific mold, or we can teach them to be dynamic, resilient, and adventurous people who can roll with the punches and thrive in the face of change.
When you go to sleep tonight, don’t expect to find the same world when you wake up. It will be different—in big ways and in small ways. Your family will be different, your friends will be different, you will be different.
I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
