When my Dad dies, God forbid, he wants two words written on his tombstone, "Things Change."
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That might sound depressing, but it's one of the wisest things my Dad says.
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If there's one thing we all got a taste of with COVID, it's change. It's crazy to think that the world got turned upside down almost one year ago today.
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When change happens, we have two options: resist and attach or embrace and let go. I bet those who faired ok during the pandemic let go of what they could not control and embraced the new normal as best they could.
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COVID-19 is passive change, meaning we didn't seek it. It happened to us and forced us to shift how we operated.
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In December, I feared a different kind of change, what I'm calling active change. I was anxious as I prepared to leave my home of four years to live month-to-month in other states across the US.
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If you read my post from last week, you heard how happy I am with that decision. However, I couldn't know this happiness at the time. Instead, I had to deal with the anxiety arising.
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Our mind's nature is to resist change. It's evolved for thousands of years to find an environment that keeps us safe and alive. Its' only reference for "safe" is that we experienced it before. When the thought of a new situation comes up, it has no understanding of it being safe, so what does it do? It activates our sympathetic nervous system, which creates stress and anxiety, which keeps us on our toes, protecting us from possible danger. Key word, possible. Often what we fear won't actually kill us. Our brain doesn't know that yet.
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In December, I was feeling this unwarranted fear and anxiety. Lucky for me, I have a friend I could call on who is well versed in change. In the past four years he's traveled the world, lived in a caravan in France, studied with shamans in Guatemala, and now he's driving a truck camper through the United States. If anyone knew how to work with change, he did.
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On our call, he gave me the insight I knew but still needed to hear. He said, "Lou, no matter what happens, this move will grow you."
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I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing I could embrace the change and that it will add color and depth to my life experience. It was just what I needed to trust the journey.
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As I've spoken about before, Transformation has its process. Richard Rohr calls it The Wisdom Pattern- Order, Disorder, Reorder. The old burns up so that something new can take shape.
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The world transformed last year, I hope ultimately for the best. Yet we shouldn't wait around for disasters to force us into growth.
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Instead, we can actively seek change. We can leave what is ordered and embrace disorder. We can let go of the old and trust my friend's wisdom that change—no matter what it is— will grow us.
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​If we want something new, we have to be someone new.​
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My Dad's right, things change. The question is:
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​Am I only growing from passive change, or am I also actively seeking it?​
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Where can you embrace change in your life?
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How can you put yourself out there or try something new?
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​The Art of Change: Embracing & Letting Go is meditation that can help.
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Listen on Insight Timer.
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​Song: Miracles by Nico & Vinz- Upbeat and motivational message. Nice change-up from last week.