Embracing Change

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom”.     – Confucius

What I plan to ponder this week is the gift that comes with change. Sometimes it is easy to see the gift right away- like when you get lost on a hike but discover a meadow you never knew existed- but sometimes it takes years before the dust settles and the gift appears. When Santa Barbara was struck by four huge fires in two years time (2007-2009), the energy around our city was fraught with anxiety. So much loss and change seemed to be too much to bear. I watched and listened  to the stories of many couples and families who lost homes in the fires.

Those individuals who were able to change and to prosper emotionally once again were most often those who had come to find the gift amidst the ashes. Gifts like…how it helped the family realize that their love mattered more than their possessions; how it helped them treasure the present moment since change could come so quickly; how it helped them downsize and simplify their lives; how it helped the children learn more gratitude rather than take their wealth for granted. Inspired by these brave families, I’m going to spend the week contemplating any change that scares me and imagine what gifts it might hold.