Change is Going to Come

The other day we were walking near Old Town. It’s a mixture of shiny new buildings with a few very old structures scattered about as well.

Like many towns, ours is growing and as it grows, over time the old gets replaced by the new.

There are plenty of examples where the old structures are repurposed. A good example is the old feed store that has been converted into a hip gift shop and restaurant.

And there are also places where the owner of an old home just doesn’t want to move.

It reminds me of the animated Pixar movie, Up. In the movie, an elderly widower refuses to sell his tiny home as enormous glass and steel skyscrapers are built right up against it. He is the last hold out among all his previous neighbors. They’ve all moved on and he is hanging on to what remains of his ‘good old days.’

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about fear during our Community Calls. One of the most significant fears is of change. Many of us like things to stay as they are, and maybe even go back to what they were in the past.

We built patterns and familiarity with how things were. With change, we have to make adjustments to our lives and new choices. Some of us fear that those choices will turn out badly, and we’ll end up worse than we are now. Even if now is not that good, we fear that the change can be worse.

Change is inevitable

Change is the nature of the Universe. It is always growing, creating, and expanding.

Change is where learning takes place. Think about your life as a child. With each year of school, you were exposed to new information. And with that new information, you grew and increased your understanding. You were able to see and imagine things from new and ever-broader perspectives.

Just because you are out of school now doesn’t mean the world stopped growing.

In the movie, Mr. Fredricksen realized life is an adventure and change can be a good thing. He learned things work out in the end – even if it’s not how you planned it.

It’s your choice to embrace the changes in your life or you can be like Mr. Fredricksen in the movie Up and try to continue living in the past.

What would you choose for yourself?