Change

Well, two weeks into the new year...and change is still in the air.  I expect it in January, frankly, because it just seems like a really great time to start.  It is, along with the start of the school year in August (or September...whatever) and spring (if you are so inclined to clean) as one of those times when everyone is on the bandwagon...or has immediately just fallen off of it. 

Change is good!  Change is positive!  Change is inevitable!  Yeah, yeah, I know...stop with the Tony Robbins bit.  Truth be told...most of us honestly just don't like change.  Sad...but true.

Dislike of change is one of the reasons why we go back to our old habits even though we've worked hard to establish new and healthy good ones. 

Or why we whine about the new furniture that we've been blessed enough to be able to purchase...but we secretly believe isn't as comfortable as what we just got rid of.

Why we have trouble bonding with new friends of friends who have joined our friendship circle in spite of the fact that they are genuinely nice people and have a lot to teach us.

Or why we hang on to traditions far longer than is practical, normal, or even meaningful.

Inherently we dislike having to learn something new unless we seek it out.  If it is thrust upon us...we feel like it is an imposition.  We'll whine, complain, kick and scream about it without regard for the fact that it may be a vast improvement over what we are currently living with or managing.  We'll hold on to something because we've owned it for twenty years and is working just fine...instead of braving the new and improved model that requires a learning curve or more sophisticated operating requirements than we are willing to invest the time to learn.  Don't believe me?  I know a lady who retired from banking years ago because she didn't want to learn how to use the computer.  I'm so not kidding.

In short...we're just incredibly human sometimes.  We like the familiar...the known...the trusted.

But change happens to all of us.  This week, I've seen two seniors move in with their adult children.  It will require some change on everyone's part...but it is definitely the right thing to do.  Does this mean that adjustments will need to be made?  Absolutely.  Will there be growing pains and some issues that will need to be resolved?  I expect so.  But it is time for a change.

I've also heard of a young lady I know who is newly engaged to be married sometime in 2012.  This means that her parents have to adjust to the prospect of having a son...and dealing with a wedding.  It may not be the timing that they had expected...but it is an exciting time nonetheless.  It is a time for change.

And on a personal note...I've started exercising again.  It isn't pretty.  My body is revolting against such...including extra sleep, soreness from muscle groups that I haven't been aware of since 2006, and changes to what I am allowing myself to consume.  The latter isn't entirely new...but it is a far cry from the free-for-all that this Christmas represented.  I'm making changes that will benefit me somewhere down the road.  I'd like to think that change is not only good in this case...it is seriously overdue.

Change really is good sometimes.  Not always.  But often.  Change is something that gives us a new perspective on our daily routines and mindsets.  When we elect to make positive changes...strangely enough...they often inspire even more changes than we originally anticipated.  We may start out by making one positive change in our lifestyles...and before we know it...we are walking closer to who we are truly meant to be.  Although we sometimes fall back...sometimes we don't.  So, we need to look for whatever positive aspects we can out of change. 

Some people actively embrace change.  These are the people that go to a favorite restaurant and insist on ordering something new every time.  For most of us, though, we'll go in and order the same thing that we always order...because we know that it will be good...or if it isn't...we have something to gauge it against. 

But positive or negative...change is inevitable.  People get older.  Children grow up and marry.  Something happens that makes us reevaluate where we are...and where we need to go.

So, today, I am trying to embrace the fact that change is in the air.  My daughter will turn 21 in less than a week.  My son will be graduating from high school in four months.  And as they are growing older...I am growing older too.  My life will change as a result of their lives changing.  Anything can happen at any time and any place.   While we like to think that these surprises will be pleasant ones...every so often...change will rock our worlds in ways that we are not prepared for nor desirous of living through.  Such is the nature of change, though...and life.

I hope that the next few weeks keep me grounded and able to grow roots of persistence and determination into the soil of promise and hope.  There are changes that I need to make in my life.  I want to find a way to keep those things that are working for me...working for me...and those things that are obviously not...changed.  Because change means growth, and growth obviously requires change...like a vicious little cycle that is going to happen in some cases whether I like it or not.

Embrace the possibilities in your life.  Stretch yourself and consider the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone and getting out of your own way.  It could truly be the beginning of something remarkably beautiful.   Just know that change is in the master plan...which is why we have seasons...both literally and figuratively.  So be brave and just keep moving forward.  One day you'll be able to look back and see how far you've come. 

At least that's what I'm counting on tonight...