PEBBLE
When we resist the change that’s inevitable, we miss the change that’s possible.
~Leslie Kaminoff, shared by Kelsey in Fond du Lac, WI
BOULDER
Change will come, whether we wish it to or not.
To fight it is like fighting the sunrise.
Better to say, “Ah, welcome old friend.
Here you are again.”
~Bruce Coville (via The Last Hunt), shared by Patricia in Lexington, KY
PONDER
It seems to me that a big part of the magic of unleashing these Ripples is also a big part of the challenge of assembling these Ripples: returning again and again to the major themes of living a full and fabulous life while avoiding too much repetition.
Change is one of those classic topics that need to be revisited from time to time, and I had fun poking through our archives to make sure the quotes and ideas I present today are at least a little fresh. It turns out that back in 2024 we discussed Befriending Change, and in earlier years we’ve explored Gorgeous Change, The Challenge of Change, Making Sense of Change, and The Cost of Change.
And of course there’s a massive amount of change happening all over the place these days (artificial intelligence is holding on line one, continued crumbling of political/social norms is on line two, and climate change is less and less patiently holding on lines three, four, and five…etc.)
Still, there’s something I really like about the emotional tone of our quotes this week. Neither of them has the “change is awesome!” energy that can feel overly optimistic when people are dealing with big, hairy changes like grief, aging, illness, job loss, political upheaval, or any of the gazillion other significant changes and challenges that people are grappling with these days.
It’s been helpful for me to remember that change often arrives uninvited, and when it does, cooperation is almost always more productive than combat. We spend so much time and energy wishing reality were different, and we too easily forget the considerable freedom and agency that becomes available whenever we shift from “Why is this happening?” to “Okay…given that this is happening, now what?”
Acceptance isn’t surrender. Instead, it’s the moment we stop spending energy fighting the sunrise and start deciding what we want to do with the daylight.
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Is change keeping you up at night? Check this out: there’s some nifty research that suggests it might help to watch the Golden Girls while you fall asleep (or if you’re up in the middle of the night). #SophiaDorothyBlancheRose