A good friend of mine died recently, and I was confused about how I handled it. It was a shock for sure, as his passing was unexpected. But then, because he wasn’t part of my day-to-day life, the feeling wore off quickly. I felt guilty that I was getting on with my life so fast. Death affects us in different ways and depends on a variety of factors, but it will always be a part of our lives. We all have to experience it; like anything else, it’s healthy to do it intentionally.
Change is a good thing. But, sheesh, enough already.
Last year, I retired from a job I held for 36 years and am devoting myself to Blocks of Life full-time. I’m still in the midst of that transition, but I’m barely making the top five in terms of the transitions around me. My wife is retiring next week, my mother is turning 90 (also next week), and my son recently began his first full-time job. Needless to say, parties abound, and I’m just trying to keep up. Transitions are the specific manifestations of an evolving life. Although they can cause anxiety and are not always thought of in a completely positive light, they should always be celebrated.
Each of us has elements in our lives that are so precious to us that it’s hard to come to terms with their loss. You might not want to envision life without them—it’s unthinkable. But at the same time, nothing in our lives is permanent. These two competing ideas can be hard to reconcile. What is important to you may be a child, a relationship, or security as a family. There are some things that you don’t want to ever see threatened or come to an end. But as we each have to face death, we also have to face the fact that nothing at all is going to last forever.
So many people try to find stability in their lives and keep things going as they have been. They like to have a familiar routine, the same friends, and the same activities. There’s nothing wrong with this. Long-lasting relationships, routines, and traditions give people a sense of belonging, a feeling of home, and comfort. But it’s also essential to have the unfamiliar in your life. I know that doing different things and interacting with new people can provide a healthy jolt to the old psyche. I recently left a very long-term job and now work full-time on Blocks of Life. This experience has led me down a wonderful path filled with exploration and discovery. It literally fuels my dreams, which are constantly filled with new and different things because I’m always doing new and different things.
The stresses of daily life can feel overwhelming. Over time, the impact of everyday problems can accumulate and feel unsurmountable. Everyday stress is not about any single, intense, or life-changing event—instead, it’s about the daily headaches, hassles, and dramas. The effect can be hard to pin down. You start feeling tired, irritable, and anxious. You may feel like talking it out with someone, but you don’t quite know what’s going on. The impact can become overwhelming, and eventually, you may feel like it’s all too much and you’re dealing with it alone.