It seems we often approach change with trepidation, suspicion, fear, doubt,
concern, worry, nervous anxiety or even outright terror, denial and refusal.
Of course not everyone feels so strongly about the 'C' word but most would
admit to some apprehension when called upon to face change.
There are many types of change... some more 'palatable' than others or less
threatening in nature.
One striking element of change can be when one makes change
consciously on all levels for one's highest and best good.
People often feel out of control when life throws a change their way
unexpectedly such as being made redundant at work, being the 'recipient' of a relationship ending, coming down with a cold, hitting a pole while reversing,
receiving an unexpected tax bill, spraining an ankle or at the deep end, losing a loved one suddenly or even after a protracted illness.
Then of course there are the 'other' changes... the 'good ones' as we perceive them.
The lottery win, the new romance, the surprise party thrown by
family and friends, the salary raise you didn't even ask for, the promotion,
the pregnancy, the acceptance to a university of choice, the chance
meeting of a long lost friend.
Of course one could also take some of the above and switch them from good to bad
or bad to good. A pregnancy may not be more of a surprise change for someone, a
sprained ankle may give someone the well needed rest they would never allow
themself, you may detest surprise parties, the end of a relationship may be a huge
relief on some level, receiving a tax bill may get you organized at last with your
papers!
So we begin to see that change is sometimes all in the perception or
in the response to said change. Some changes are never really 'welcome'
but they come into our lives as teachers with powerful things to impart if
we are listening and paying attention in our lives. The lesson may be one of
love, one of understanding, one of humility, one of setting boundaries,
one of seeking help or of offering help to another, one of reassessing what
is really important, one of going within, one of letting go, one of reconnection,
one of re-evaluation or one of compassion.
Whatever form the teaching takes we can begin to see the value of looking beneath
the fear, the reaction, the avoidance, the worry, the pain in order to understand.
It is never really the change itself that is the difficulty but rather the
way one responds or reacts to change that carries the energy of fear or pain or
drama. It takes great courage and grace to receive change in all its forms with
a level of balance and understanding that diffuses the fear, drama or pain.
We experience change in our lives in every moment as the weather shifts
('Melbourne-ites' smile here!) or as seasons change or as a book races toward its
ending or as the baby bird takes flight from the nest for the last time or as
a best friend moves overseas or as the favourite newspaper columnist retires
or as the full moon shifts into waning mode or as the hair falls from the head
during a haircut or as a child finds its first step or as a tree blossoms suddenly
or............
Change, as miracle, happens in every moment. Everything changes.
The pain and fear lie in the 'not wanting', the 'if only', the 'but why', the 'oh no',
the 'this isn't how it was supposed to be'. We can find a way to release and to
detach from the need for a particulr outcome by allowing change and flow to
simply be. As this one thing has changed, so will it change again. Allow it.
Planets shift, winds shift, faces change, lives change, people change,
ideas change, our cellular make up changes, seasons change and so on.
We always have choice and within that the ability to choose how we respond
to particular events in our lives or the minute extraordinary things that occur in
every moment of existence that we could rightly call miracles.
Many have written of the 'path of least resistance' and we would do well
to consider this middle way of observation of how we feel internally when
change arises and simply witness what is passing through. Allowing this
energy to pass through is essential as all is flow on some level.
We can choose to feed fear or we can choose to feed love.
This seems like a 'no-brainer' which means this really comes from the heart.
So embrace change in all its forms and experiences as part of this tapestry
of creation we inhabit at this time.
Remember most importantly that we are beings gifted with the ability to
CREATE! Do so, gloriously and imaginatively.
Much Light and Blessings.
