Embracing Change
Today marks the third school year that I am not returning as a teacher. Even though it has been three years, it still feels strange. I miss my friends, the kids, and the excitement that a fresh start to the school year brings.
Yet, here I am, living my new life. What I miss most about teaching is the consistency, the routine that going to work provided. It gave my life a certain flow. Granted, there were many aspects of the job I disliked—hence quitting ten years before retirement—but it offered a straightforward framework around which to structure my life. Creating a new flow has been challenging, especially while starting my own business. Everything is so new that it has sometimes been overwhelming, scary, and frustrating. But three years in, I can confidently say that the change has been good for me.
As my teacher friends were stepping into the first minutes of a new school year, I was riding my bike to a yoga class. I now get to choose how to structure my day. This flexibility provides a sense of freedom and control over my destiny that teaching never did. More importantly, I feel like I am serving my higher purpose by helping people resolve problems through hypnosis. It is satisfying and fulfilling.
Change is not easy, but it is inevitable. We often live under the illusion that the world is static, but in reality, it is in constant flux. While change can be subtle, it is ever-present, happening whether we notice it or not. Some changes seem more apparent, like the growth of a child, a puppy, or a plant. But, as a recent look through my photos from the last ten years reminded me, change has been happening to me too. While grieving change is normal, as my Borg friends would say, "resistance is futile." Accepting change is essential for maintaining inner peace.
"Ch-ch-ch-changes. Turn and face the strange." I love this lyric from David Bowie’s song "Changes." Isn’t that what makes change difficult? It is the facing of the strange, the unknown. Yet, change is constant. Every moment is different from the last. This is why present-moment awareness is so valuable—it makes us conscious of the constant changes happening around us. If we become aware that everything is constantly changing, then perhaps change won’t be so strange? Change will become familiar, something you can always count on.
Perhaps you are experiencing some changes in your life right now? Maybe your kids are going back to school, you are a teacher starting a new school year, or your children are heading off to college. This time of year is filled with transitions as summer shifts into autumn.
How do you manage change in your life?
