Ripples #1214: Times of Transformation
Aug 29, 2022
PEBBLE
I shall be bold with deep tenderness so that I may commit myself to being transformative.
-Lynn Zovighian, shared by Darcy of the West
BOULDER
This is not a time of mere change. This is a time of transformation, and transformation comes not out of scarcity but out of the context of possibility, responsibility, and sufficiency.
-Lynne Twist, shared by Holly in Phoenix, AZ
PONDER
We are in a time of significant tumult.
This means we are also in a time of significant transformation.
The more hesitant we are to embrace change, the more likely we are to react from a place of fear and frustration. The sooner we emerge from our own shadows and prepare ourselves to think more, learn more, and try more, we will also find ourselves in a world that is ready to come together more, to celebrate more, to achieve more.
Transformation requires us to release the constraints and limitations of the past without discarding the skills and the wisdom we’ve picked up along the way. And the possibilities that come along with transformation invite us to move forward into the future with more curiosity than caution; to seek the right balance of persistence and patience; and to learn when to bend with flexibility and when to stand tall with firmness.
There can be a temptation to pine for “the good old days” which we sometimes remember as safer and more comfortable than they really were. The reality is that we cannot push toothpaste back into the tube, nor can we force a hermit crab back into a shell that it has outgrown.
All of this is exciting to me. And also daunting. You know what helps me stay more hopeful than overwhelmed? The times when I remember that I don’t have to do everything all by myself, nor do I have to do my part all at on time. And every time we come together and make a little progress, we can take just a moment to celebrate, to rest, and to figure out what’s next.
Inch by inch. Step by step. Day by day. Bird by bird. Today’s small shifts help us move closer to where we want to go.
Peace,
Paul
