Floating on a Trade Wind

"If you knew that you could die today and you saw the face of God and love, would you change? Would you change?" Change, Tracy Chapman

I have lived the vast majority of my life resisting change. I think we all do at times. Change invariably yields a host of emotions I avoid at all costs. I tend to like my routine and its safe and pleasant meandering path to the known. I am familiar with the routine and where it leads. The path, pioneered, the journey, recognizable, I find safe-haven in experiences that are calculated, moments that are predictable, and life that is comfortably floating, if not on a breeze, then perhaps a trade wind.

Recently, however, I have begun to see my pleasant routine as a well-honed rut. Isn't it interesting how the connotations for rut and routine are divergently different yet mean precisely the same when applied similarly in the English language? While I can travel in my rut much the same as I can travel in my routine, I am beginning to see that those of us resistant to change will inadvertently find our pathways etched in moments of change. At that point, a decision must be made; steadfastly resist the urge to change or go with the flow. Life has convinced me that the latter is the better option.

I have been blessed with a wife that flutters with a youth-like exuberance when facing change. She is the type of individual that could pickup at a moments notice to visit a relative many hours away without once becoming concerned with the details; details that would bog me down for hours. I envy this attribute and secretly try to emulate it. She is utterly void of calculated routine and her chemistry allows for this characteristic. Mine, unfortunately, does not. The best I can do is embrace a philosophy of welcoming change, hitch my wagon to that idea, and ride out into a sunset unknown. I will do so knowing that my life will change and that change will present me with wonderful experiences; many of which I would have passed on if given the opportunity.

Our inner change is most certainly our vessel to resounding growth, yet often, we need our Captain to set the course. Just a thought.

"If you knew that you could find a truth that brings a pain that can't be soothed,would you change? Would you change?" Change, Tracy Chapman