Change. It is a word we are all familiar with. It is a condition we have all experienced in some way or another. It is something most of us resent or resist. Yet it is the one thing in life which is inevitable. Every single day, every single minute we are in a process of change. Seasons change, people change, climates change, political parties change, we are surrounded by change, it is interwoven into the very fabric of our lives. Most of it is so subtle, the effect of it is only visible ten years down the line, some of it is radical, sudden, catching us by surprise.
Change is the one constant in Life. Whether we welcome change with open arms or try to resist it with all our being, every change comes with its joys and its regrets. We gain something and we lose something, it is like the ocean tide with its high and low tides.
Change cannot be avoided, all we can alter is how we adapt to it and how we utilise it. As the Richard Bach quote above states "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the Master calls the butterfly" , it is all about point of view.
Every encounter we have in life, every situation we find ourselves in brings about change in us, but also in those we pass by. Do we bring about positive change, or do I deposit seeds of destruction? Realising that we are part of the process of the constant change taking place, helps us understand the responsibility that comes with it. We will most likely never know what change it is that we have helped create in others, we will never be able to press the "undo" button, therefor it is important that we tread carefully in the lives of others.
Contemplating "change" makes me again realise how precious "now" is. "Now" is what we have, appreciate it, enjoy it, love it, LIVE it. It never comes this way again. That is why I am now going to post this and going to hug my husband who is here NOW!
I leave you with this well known quote from Reinhold Niebuhr:
"God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can'
And the Wisdom to know the difference."
I fully agree with you that change is the only constant in life. A fun way to look at change is by making up limericks. These are short poems that are silly by nature and always seem to sketch a "before", an event and then an "after" scenario. Possibly the shortest way to describe the reason for the change. Here is one or two of my own, just for fun...
ReplyDeleteThere was a young man from Calcutta
Who fell with his butt in the butter
It went to his head
He spent it in bed
And now in SA he's a squatter!
A sailor one ev'ning came knocking
While in her chair Granny was rocking
He sang her a song
Then swept her along
To where at the quayside the're docking...
Love your blogging!
Haha! Thank you for sharing your funny limericks with us, they are adorable! It just so happens that the poetry challenge for this week has been writing a limerick, and it's not as easy as many would think. Please hop over to the pages and have a look at Thursday's Poetry. I have a new challenge every week. Thanks for visiting, hope to encounter you here often.
DeleteCharri
With change on the mind: not everyone embraces change gracefully , for myself I LOVE things to remain much the same ; but then all will also not be well....our children should grow up to build their lives as adults .Especially as a mother, these seasons of change have come into my life to a great extent hand in hand with every season of growth my child has gone through.Looking back until this moment , by the Grace of God, each of these seasons have been awesome!
ReplyDeleteEvetually change entails growth and for me it is quite wonderful to look back, especially on my birthdays,to look back on the previous 5 to 10 years and to realize ,WOW! How much have I grown. Thus I look forward to also becoming much wiser.
Seasons of change can/should be embraced.... the four seasons of the year where I only manage to embrace autumn ,winter and perhaps spring, as the reality of the harsh summers in our country weigh heavily on me. I am an odd one! When autumn starts the sunlight changes, how it falls through the windows of my house, and I feel ecstatic. Winter can never last long enough for me ... I go slowly into spring ,feeling my way, slowly adjusting to the harsh summer sun on my skin.
Then I can just conclude with this thought for my week ahead, uttered by many before me, let me tread softly trough the lives of others ,let me look with soft eyes at my beloveds, let me spread a smile around me, who knows who might need it?
Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your view on "change" with me. I think most people find it hard to just accept change, but once the initial resistance has passed we look back and realise that it was not as bad as we initially expected it to be. I agree, let us smile, yours might be the last smile somebody sees....
Looking forward to hear from you again,
Charri