Embracing Change
By Lane Cobb
Ever notice how we human beings don’t like change? Some of us are threatened by it. Some of us are fatalistic. Either way, most human beings don’t react too well when faced with change. This is where we differ with the rest of nature.
Like trees in a storm, we would do well to exercise our flexibility and bend when the winds of change start to blow.
Instead, many of us dig in our heels, holding onto the illusion that we can actually control the change, and refusing to face the inevitable fact that some aspect of our lives has come to an end. But, there is another way.
In recent days, I have had many opportunities to notice my own resistance to change. Just yesterday, I purchased a new iPod because I had lost mine. However, the one I bought is a different model. I don’t know how to use it. It doesn’t look the same. Not to mention that I had gotten the other one for free, and the price I paid for this one was way more than I felt was fair. As I went throughout my day today, I noticed how much I really wanted to return this new iPod. I wanted the old one, the familiar one, the one that had kept me company during so many visits to the gym and walks around the neighborhood. I noticed how resentful I was, and that I somehow felt forced to buy this new iPod. I noticed how badly I just wanted the old one to appear as I periodically looked in all the same places I had already looked to no avail. Clearly, I was resisting the fact that my iPod was gone, and what’s worse, it was my fault. I couldn’t blame anyone else for this tragedy. I had lost it myself.