A CHANGE OF SEASON (^^,)

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” Paulo Coelho. Lately I’ve been through a lot of changes. …..Oh alright, most of them weren’t mine =). It’s funny though, how someone else’s change can somehow become your own? It all depends upon your closeness to the said person, I suppose. But I am sure we have all sometimes felt as if this thing called “change” is something that happens to “other people.” But whether we make the change or simply experience it, I believe that in one way or another, change happens to all of us. Temporary as well as long term. Some changes are forced on us by circumstance, .e.g. death in the family, or of a close friend, being diagnosed with a chronic illness, someone close to us moving away etc. All these bring about a change of season, a change in lifestyle, a change in routine. If it in one way or another affects us, it thus becomes “our” change. Something seemingly small like making new friends, the family dog going off to heaven (yah apparently they all do LoL), your favorite TV show being cancelled or your cook of over twenty years retiring, all somehow affect you & thus bring about a change of season. I don’t think I am the same person that I was when I was seven or ten years old, and I was probably a different person when I was 18. The friends I had are probably not the same as the ones that I have now. There were no fights, no significant reasons for the seperation. Life happened. Changed followed. Our lives changed. My and probably their thought patterns, taste in music, books, movies have all constantly been changing as time keeps marching on. I am one person who has always resisted change, but I do accept it is an inevitable, and sometimes even, necessary part of life. Change has and will always be a part of us. We can’t negotiate with it. I know I’ve tried LoL. Some people never recover from it as change can be painful, but it can also be exciting. I do confess though what is painfully obvious is that I haven’t been excited about change in a loooooooong time. Picture me carrying a placard as I chant “Oh no! We won’t go! Oh no! We won’t go!” He he! You really did, didn’t you? Shame on you! =D Of course there is some distinction. Some changes are drastic and hard to miss, but still others are natural, gradual and more inconsequential. Some changes are temporary, whilst others are….not =). But changes nonetheless. Well, when you feel that the big changes you desire are happening for “everyone but you,” there comes a time in everyone’s life when they need to decide to make the big change for themselves ;-). The changes you make for yourself start with a decision. However, some changes can not be forced. We all know the folly of forcing a butterfly out of its cocoon before it is time =) If you don’t like the way the world reacts to you, perhaps its time to consider changing the way that you react to the world. Kahlil Gibran said, “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” One of the greatest things about change is that we never actually have to face it or go through it alone =) “To create more positive results in your life, replace ‘if only’ with ‘next time.’” (^^,)