3 Things About Change

Monsterkoi via Pixabay
Weeds or wildflowers?

It's been a time of change. My daughter came home for spring break, only to find out she wouldn't be going back to school for her final semester. The college where I teach opted to move to online classes for at least two weeks.
With social distancing as the norm, my car hasn't moved from the driveway since sometime last week, as I dig in here at home for work and for relaxation. Fear and a constantly evolving news cycle make change, as they say, the only constant.

Most of us aren't entirely fond of change. But change brings with it opportunity.

Opportunity to appreciate. Often, change gives us the opportunity to appreciate what we had but, sometimes, it surprises us, and we discover that we appreciate the new normal. I love getting to know my students, so I love face-to-face-teaching. But online teaching? I don't hate it. It definitely has possibilities.

Opportunity to improve. There is no better way to decide what will be (if, in fact, we get to choose) than to first examine what is and what was. When we get stuck in our routines, we sometimes close off those avenues of exploration. Whether we choose change or are forced into it, we gain an opportunity to examine both our options and our experiences.

Opportunity to lighten up. Speaking of routines...I'm not a big fan of mine being thrown out the window. I'm both stressed and annoyed, for example, that I didn't get to this blog post until 9 PM when I have quite literally been home all day. But, you know what? In the scheme of things (or, to use my friend Ann's time frame, in ten years), it won't matter what time I posted this. So, why should it be a big deal now?

Pezibear via Pixabay

This is, indeed, one of those times when the change itself is less upsetting than the reason for it. We can choose to fight it, for the sake of clinging to what we know, or we can look around and consider the possibility that the change itself might be more welcome than we anticipated.

Sometimes, change is a weed, unwelcome and running roughshod over the ground around us. Other times, it's a wildflower, a bright spot in a gray landscape.

It's up to us to decide.