Sue Lynn Perry Smith shares her Wednesday's Words of Widsom with us every first and third Wednesday of the month. You can pick up more tidbits from Sue Lynn's Facebook group, Rodeo Queens Rule.
In addition to death and taxes, one other thing is certain in life – that anxiety-producing, dreadful, horrible, wonderfully refreshing thing called “change.” Everyone views life changes differently. Some folks get bored with the same old routine and look forward to experiencing a new chapter in life fairly often. And, still others may view a routine as being less stressful and an easier approach to life.
But one truth about change is that it inherently promotes individual growth, whether by the positive aspects of change or the negative ones or both.
Change always produced a lot of anxiety for me. My family moved three times during my youth and most dreaded aspect of the change was having to begin again at a new school. The worst one of those experiences was having to change schools mid semester of my seventh grade year from North Little Rock, AR, to Ozark, AR. It was a drastic change that seriously affected me socially and academically. I had a lot of trouble feeling as though I belonged in that community and additionally experienced difficulty in class.
Thankfully, we only lived in Ozark a short while before we moved to Millington, TN, in August 1977. It’s easy to remember the timing of the move since it was only two weeks before Elvis Presley died in neighboring Memphis, TN.
But looking back over those moving experiences, I realized that they pushed me out of my comfort zone and that had a profound effect on my early life. I learned how to expect and manage such changes.
And since that time, there have many other changes to deal with, including starting high school, starting college, living away from home for the first time, being married, being divorced, starting new jobs and learning to live with the death of a parent.
Most changes we can manage on our own. But big changes, such as divorce, loss of a child or parent, loss of a job, can require the additional support of a friend, pastor or professional therapist.
Now, I really try to view any kind of change as an opportunity to grow and stretch outside my comfort zone. Meaning the change may be uncomfortable at first, but the new challenge will eventually change the very fabric of who I am. Even out of a very tragic change can bloom a new life.
So during the stable times of your life, don’t be leery of change just to maintain a stress free environment. If after careful consideration, you think the timing is right for a change, go for it. Enjoy feeling the weight of a dusty routine fall off your shoulders and experience the exhilaration of a new challenge.
However, a caution; I don’t recommend multiple changes at one time because it can be overwhelming, but one moderate change or adjustment can be quite healthy.
Even if change is unexpected and not your choice, you can still choose to embrace it and get the most out of it, rather than allowing it to drag you down in stress.
By making friends with change, you will surely add another dimension to your life, making it fuller and more meaningful with lots of new memories to populate your mind.
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