We all experience the subtleties of change, each day, everyday. Like the in and out of our breath, each new moment, by virtue of its entry into our next time and space, creates a new sensation in our views, our tastes, our music, our feelings and thoughts.
Other changes are less subtle but still easy to grasp, easy to understand, and easy to accept. When our new car begins to wear a few scratches, or blooming flowers shrivel, or long weekends come to their final sunset, we make peace, simply, in the course of the inevitable.
Yet when significant changes arrive unpredictably, like a surprising bolt of lightening, we hold our breath in fear of uncertainty. Our expectations crumble, our security becomes dented, our values are questioned, and our emotions erupt in confusing protests of resistance.
Often we feel that changes happen to us, stealing our control, the illusion that we grasp with clenched hand, closed heart and determined mind. Even when we intellectually understand that we must initiate a change in our lives, or we desire to change an aspect of our lives, we often have difficulty leaping forward with enthusiasm. We first want certainty to put new roots into our control.
In reality our "control" lives in our response. We can lock the door to the future, and weigh ourselves down with a heavy heart, or we can walk openly through the transition, observing, expanding our perspective, and learning.
Children personify the adaptability for which we long. A friend recently shared with me the story of his daughter's first school bus excursion. New faces, climbing big steps, crossing dangerous roads and travelling without Mom and Dad were all potentially daunting experiences. The newness was met with timid steps and bright eyes. But within a week she was ready to leave 20 minutes ahead of schedule, demanding that others hurry, her feet happily running to the bus stop in anticipation of any adventure that may lie ahead. In her heart was a willingness to embrace new opportunity.
It may have been her naivety that carried her forward so effortlessly, but perhaps as adults we could stand to balance our jadedness and preconceptions with a little innocence of spirit. Maybe then we could more fully embrace the notion that change is the universe's way of offering us a richer life!
Do changes in your life bring about feelings of fear, anxiety, and turmoil?
Do you struggle against change?
Learn a self-supportive process for accepting unpredictable changes in your life and moving through to action.
Join me for my workshop
RESPONDING TO CHANGE WITH CHOICE
Go to "Workshops and Presentations" or
contact me for details.
(613) 253-2888
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