Changes - Fri., April 3, 2015

Change is inevitable. Life would be static and boring without change. We may like it or we may not, but it will happen.

Even if events in your life don't change, changes in people and life around you will impact you; thus making your life, and how you perceive it, different.

Guess what? You choose how you deal with changes. Change may cause fear of the unknown, excitement, depression, happiness, sadness, physical changes in your body, mental anguish, exhaustion, or confusion.

Recently my husband, Bob, changed jobs. The work he was doing was tapering off and he wasn't needed as much as the previous years. Bob decided to make a change to do consulting work and was building up his client base. He also was offered a 20-hour-per-week position. Things were looking good, but he was restless; something was not working for him.

He was then offered a full-time position doing exactly what he wanted, but they demanded he extricate himself from his part-time job and the clients for whom he was consulting. Screech! Put on the brakes. About face. A major life change took Bob by storm.

The new job has turned out to be just what Bob wanted. For his consulting clients, he has found new people to take over for him. Same with the part-time position. The change portion of this experience has been stressful for Bob, but also a learning experience. His clients and the three jobs were spread out all over the San Antonio/Boerne, Texas area. He was driving all over creation to keep up with his work. It left him exhausted.

By the middle to end of April, he will be down to his new full-time job. A job change for Bob has meant many things to him. He is already relaxing. Twice this week he made it home before I did.

Now think about your lives. Change comes in many forms: birth, death, falling in love, divorce, job changes, health, commitments, Daylight Savings Time (for those of us who have to endure it), diets, your thinking, move to a new location, making friends, losing friends, adding a pet, conflict, road construction, voluntarism, the seasons, weather, travel, new vehicle, political changes, war, and education.

I asked Bob what he thinks change is. He said, "Nickels, dimes..." I gave him the look.

Then he said, "Change your thinking, change your life." "Change is good." "The only constant in life is change."

Even history changes as new information becomes available. Life changes and so do we.

I'll leave you with the chorus from David Bowie's "Changes:"

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
Mmm, yeah

Change is one essence of our human lives on this planet. Enjoy the ride.