I used to be young, and as a child our family moved a lot. My Dad worked for the Government. We moved every time he climbed the Government ladder. I changed schools more than most kids change hairstyles.
Every time I moved, I was forced to face change. Change in friends, my house, cultural differences across the United States, school systems and the difference in what I learned, fashion changes from coast to coast, and new climates. There were many more changes I'm sure affected how I see life, but I'm still figuring those out.
Moving was the only life I knew so those constant changes were my normal.
My normal probably wasn't your normal.
It seems that life is made up of a series of changes.
For me, most change isn't scary. Like I said, it was normal for me.
But for many people, change is something to avoid. Change creates fear!
That's because change can't always be controlled. Control is safe, and we humans like to feel safe and in control. Change often creates and forces a new way of being, and a new way of having to look at what was once familiar.
So here I am in a big city, facing the next phase of my life. Yet another part of life that is full of change.
I'm beginning to see wrinkles, gray hair and extra pounds. All changes I can't seem to control, no matter how many creams and ointments I rub on my skin.
I see my 20-30 year old children and reminisce about my youth. I look at them and know that one day they will be where I am, God willing. The changes they will go through, very similar, yet different, than mine.
Youth bring changes to our world. Change many of us fight for - and many fight against. Is it fear of change, or the acceptance that change is inevitable that creates this divide?
Hopefully, with age, all of these changes morph into wisdom and experience. The qualities our generation now carry with us. But wisdom is only gained if we were open to life's changes and what those changes taught us.
I've raised my family, run a household, run a business, paid the bills, dealt with disease, death, divorce, happiness, sadness and everything else life has assigned me. I am a survivor, a warrior, and have mellowed into a fine wine.
My body may not be what it once was, but my body carries my soul, my courage and my strength. All the wisdom earned from the changes I faced in life.
I don't feel bad about getting older. It's another change I am looking forward to and I will roll through, gathering what it has to offer. A privilege many never got to try.
I think my life was easier, relatively speaking, because I embraced change. I invited it into my life. I accepted that I can't control most of what comes my way.
What has change taught you? What change have you embraced? What change have you fought against? Did that work?