Life Changes, But Can We
Posted: Friday, July 10, 2009
by Susan Thom
If we think about our lives, we can honestly agree that life is ever changing. It never stays the same for long. We can be riding a wave of excitement and happiness one minute, and feeling crushed and abandoned the next. As far back as we can remember, life treated us the same way. One minute, we were playing with our new cassette player we got for Christmas.
Or accept that for some reason, we are being tested, and how we handle ourselves will follow us through our lives? When life changes, so, too, must we. When things are taken out of our control, we must learn to be patient. : "Good things come to those who wait." At least, that's what my mother always said.
When life is going along one way, and changes to a completely different way, the challenge is for us to change with it. We know that everything passes with time, and all of us have received "This too shall pass", sometime in our life. We don't have control of the minutes. Our journey has to run it's course for it to succeed in adding to our integrity and wisdom.
If never confronted, how would we gain knowledge and focus and clear lines of right and wrong? How would we know which boundaries not to cross? While going through these changes, if the way we are thinking and acting is different than changing positively with life, we will suffer. We must ride the wave, not succumb to it.
There may be days, months, and years we are off track. We may be dealing with spouses and kids and homes and pets and all that entails, and not realize that we are not changing with life. We are not preparing for the teen years of our kids, or the college years, or when they move out on their own, or go into the military.
When these things start happening, and life changes, we need to be ready to change as well. Usually, there are events and situations that help us along our growth pattern. We are forced to make changes in our own selves so that we can handle what is going on in life. If we stay rigid in our old patterns, the stress could literally kill us.
So, we have to learn. If we were frustrated by waiting for things to happen, we will have to learn how to be much more patient. If not, we will feel our nerves jumping in fast gear. Our energy level will be depleted. Our will to keep going will slow down. When life changes, we must do the same. These experiences are what make us who we are.
And these changes are what make us who we are going to be from now on. We may be stronger willed, more determined, more spiritual, more appreciative, more focused, more cautious, and actually smarter. Life may have forced us into change, but we made the decision to do so. That in itself, is hard work.
Changing from thinking a certain way for many years, to thinking a better way for your health and well-being, takes guidance and tenacity and awareness in realizing that it even needs to be done. Not worrying about things you have no control over, and instead, learning how to relax and enjoy life, is a remarkable feat, and one in which to be proud.
Changing with life keeps us balanced and not so caught up in the drama that living can bring our way. We need time alone to sort out our thoughts and get back in tune with who we really are. I can only speak these things from my experience, and that's all I'm doing. I have my bad days, no one is perfect.
It takes practice, not perfection to make the changes needed to be happier and less burdened. Sometimes, we just need a little guilt free rest; a nap on the couch, a walk around the block, sitting on the porch swing. Clear out the worries and fortify the strength that comes from Faith, Hope, and experience, which creates wisdom.
This Article has been viewed 277 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Boy Sue, you got that right, "It takes practice, not perfection to make the changes needed to be happier and less burdened." Thanks for another great write! Love and hugs, tPlease log in to respond to this comment.
h t,thanks for reading and commenting.i think life is all about practice. we have plenty of time for perfection later....my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Sue.It's really hard for some people to accept and work with change. I've seen this in some of my friends. I believe that some people fear change because they think that if they change, they will no longer be who they think they are. They don't realize that who they are is not what they do.I've one friend in particular to whom I would like to send your article, but I don't think that she would understand.Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for a beautifully written article.Hugs,DiannePlease log in to respond to this comment.hi dinne,i learned in the 12 step program i attended, that "everything stems from fear."if i'm feeling uneasy or nervous, i ask myself, "What are you afraid of?" usually, the answer falls into my lap. then, i can do something about it.if someone else is also acting on edge, i can ask, "What are they afraid of?" and i usually can figure out their mood by the answer.i appreciate your continued support in reading and commenting.my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Sue, so very true about life and change. Getting older was something I wasn't in denial about but it hit me - where have all the years gone? I didn't want to accept it in one sense so I over compensated and started thinking I was old. I began to act old. I mean old. When I came to myself, I changed that nonsense!
This is a great article. Everything changes, nothing remains the same. George Benson's song lyrics, actually. "There are not many things in life we can be sure of, except rain comes from the clouds, sun lights up the sky, and hummingbirds do fly."
Take good care,
AvisPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi avis,thanks for stopping by and reading and commenting."the only constant is change"(but not before you're ready :)put that cane away and dance the night away :)you're only as old as you feel?my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Very nicely stated, Sue.I'm sure, if able to feel, the block of stone would cry out against the artists chisel.Great job.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi ken,i appreciate the read and comment, always.i think the easier we can adapt to change, the happier we'll be.let's try and see,my best,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.