Anyone who read my last post might not be surprised to hear that entering the last quarter of the year has left me feeling a little philosophical. Perhaps it’s the colder weather or the darker evenings, but I can’t help feeling that the transition from this year to the next is nearing and change is in the air.
The title of this post is undoubtedly a saying that is well-known to most. I’m certain we’ve all heard it at some point – particularly in response to some complaint or comment about things changing too quickly.
But I do believe as a concept, it is really understated, and most people fail to appreciate the transitory nature of pretty much all aspects of life.
Being a parent helps avoid this: change is ever-present – with evolving schoolwork, changing fads and trends, growth and increasing height, and a constant need for new clothes.
For me though, appreciation of change has become one of the key tools I have for living. As the Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, said, loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature’s delight, (which was the title of a previous post), and certainly, for me, appreciation of what change means helps me to try and live a better life. Aside from not being a fan of surprises, knowing that anything in life (including my own existence) could change at any moment helps me to remember how truly precious everything really is. To not value something is to take it for granted, and it’s easy to do, but if one recognizes that change is always there, waiting in the wings, ready to run on stage at any moment and throw us off our lines, it makes for a more meaningful way of living. Imaging what it would feel like to lose your phone, your car, your house, or even your loved one will make you appreciate it or them all the more. Taking things for granted meanwhile is sad. Taking people for granted is tragic. I sometimes wonder if we all took a moment to recognize the finite nature of the world and ourselves, would the world be a better place? Maybe. Valuing what we have and being grateful for what we have, while we have it, is a gift, and might be worthy of practice and something to strive for.
Yep, October has had me thinking a lot.
