“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.” Barack Obama
How do you feel about change? What are you doing to adapt to the Pandemic and other changes? Are the changes you’ve made working well?
I chose this quotation because Barack Obama was the change he wanted and the change many of us hoped we would live long enough to see – the first Black person to be president of our country. We continue to see changes like this in the new current Biden administration. Many more positions are being filled by those who are not white men, and this diversity represents the reality of the country.
Change will not stop. Even the 25-year-old car I drive keeps changing. It’s rusting in spots, the seats continue to fade, the pebble dent in the front window spread across the glass and the windshield had to be replaced. Even what seems rock-solid, changes.
Changes Out of Our Control
Our country has experienced many changes, both positive and negative, in the last few years, so that nothing feels stable. Many of us never envisioned the Nine Eleven disaster or the recent riot at the capital. We never dreamed of losing a loved one in a pandemic. That only happened in the Middle Ages.
While many of the changes around and in our lives seem out of our control, many are not. Many are appearing in order to awaken us to changes that need to be made in the world, our country, and in our personal lives.
In my own life, I am having to face the fact that my aging body will not remain pain-free unless I do certain exercises every day. I’ve walked daily for years and like doing that, but as time has passed, I’ve had to add more exercises to my plan. I’m not happy with that. Unfortunately, my physical therapist, who is very competent, is not a magician. If I want to continue to be pain free, I have no choice but to keep doing the required routine.
Look For The Good In Changes
Wayne Dyer said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” It’s so easy to slip into our comfortable lives and think unpleasant change will never touch us, but there are few of us who have not been affected by the pandemic in some way. Everything changes. We have to be willing to see the good in the changes we need to make.
We all need to take climate change seriously. The scientific reality of it is right in our faces with the fires out west and the snows down south. We are the only ones who can, at least, somewhat return our planet to normal by planting the right flowers to feed bees. We can help keep streams clean by reducing the use of plastic. We are “the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
We have recently elected a president who is seriously trying to make changes that will save people from starvation, illness, and the loss of their homes in this difficult time. By voting for him, we hoped he was the change needed to help people suffering from the pandemic and loss of work and income. So far, it appears we made the right choice.
Helping Others Helps Us
On a personal level, there is much we can do to help others with the challenges of the pandemic. I have a friend who made masks for many people and delivered food to the elderly. Others offer rides to doctors or deliver medications or walk dogs. Some people are gathering virtually to discover ways to improve police departments, handle addiction problems, or address racial equity.
Change is often frightening when we have had a stable life that was working well and we were surrounded by people who were like us. But life does not stop changing regardless of what we do. We cannot control everything in life. If we want the changes in our lives to be wise ones, we need to share our wisdom and take the steps we can to improve our lives and the world.
Remember—you are the change you’ve been waiting for.
© 2020 Georganne Spruce
Related Blogs:
TRANSFORMING THE FEAR OF CHANGE
AWAKENING TO THE VALUE OF CHANGE
Awakening to the Dance 