The Times They Are A Changin’

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: Ecclesiastes.

I never expected I would be quoting Bob Dylan and the bible in the same post. But I’d like to talk a little bit about change. We’ve all heard the old saying, “the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes.” But there is one other thing that is certain and that’s change.

Without change there is no life. We are born, we grow, we raise families and eventually we die. The whole cycle of life is a cycle of change. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Change is stressful whether it be change for the better or change for the worse. Even change that brings joy such as the birth of a new child or starting a new job can be stressful.

Will we raise our children the way they should be raised? Will they have a good life? Will they be successful?

Will we like our new job? Will we do as well as the person before us? Will we meet expectations?

Change is never without stress. Even those of us who think that we like change, place our own personal limits on it. While we want change and we want things that are new, innovative, and exciting, we still want them to be pretty much the way they are now. Too often we think of change as wanting things to be the same but somehow better.

Unfortunately, that’s not the way of life.

I think about the small changes in life that become major stressors. You buy a new car and discover that the owner’s manual is two inches thick because of all the high tech options. I’ve had my car for 10 years and I’m still discovering features I didn’t know about.

We all know what it’s like when you get a new cell phone and you can’t even figure out how to answer a call, much less use all the other features that the kids take in stride.

Don’t even get me started on television. Those of us with a certain level of life experience (you can insert old here) remember when there were only three networks, and we had to get up and walk across the room to change the channel. Now we work our way through the myriad of remote controls, streaming services, viewing options, and who knows what else just to watch a show.

But if you stop and think about it, those things that we are comfortable with now, that we wish wouldn’t change, are those same new things that just a few years ago caused us so much stress. Eventually we adapt to all these changes and incorporate them into our comfort zone. Then, having achieved familiarity with those changes, we try to preserve them from the next wave of new ideas.

The older I get, the more I find myself inclined to resist change. Particularly if it involves learning a whole new set of rules or procedures. I think it’s because I have nostalgia for a past that probably was never quite as rosy as I imagine it to have been. When I look back honestly, as much as I would like to have a 1966 Corvette Convertible, I have to admit that it wouldn’t drive anywhere near as well as even the most inexpensive new car today.

And do I really want to live without Google, e-mail, cell phones and GPS? Well, sometimes yes, but for the most part I’m happy about technology, even the dreaded Zoom.

So, what do we do about change? We jump right in and get started. It may be messy; it may be stressful; it may be confusing. But if we are positive and persevere, the result will be beautiful, and we will be blessed by embracing change.

The first step is to recognize that change is inevitable. We must stay flexible and focus on the positive. We need to set realistic expectations. Every transition involves a stressful start as we attempt to reconcile competing ideas into a single coherent and uniform plan.

We need to look on change as a learning and growth experience from which we will gain valuable insight into ourselves and our values. If we get overwhelmed, we need to stop focusing on the details and look at the broader picture of life.

Change is what makes life interesting. It’s what helps us continue to grow as we get older. Keep living and keep changing. It makes it all worthwhile. I’m even willing to change my opinions on occasion (maybe).