Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – January 16, 2004
Change
Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – January 16, 2004 – Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘change’ as … “to make radically different – to pass from one phase to another – to transform”. It sounds exciting doesn’t it? So why is ‘change’, this discovery of a “new” way of thinking, doing or being, able to catapult us into a state of complete paralysis?
Webster’s also defines “rut” as – “a usual or fixed practice – a monotonous routine”. That doesn’t sound at all appealing and yet for many of us, it’s an all to familiar dwelling place.
In mid-December last year, I believe it may have been the 14th. – yes it was, I’ve just checked my journal – I made the following declaration, “I am fed up with having no vision for my life”. I must say that I have no major complaints about my life. I live in one of the best cities in the world, in a country of beauty, freedom, opportunity and economic stability – a country where a social conscience is still a cherished commodity. Canada is a glorious country and Canadians are terrific people.
I have a beautiful home, a wonderful career with loyal and appreciative clients, a loving family, great friends and the very best dog and cat in the world – or so they tell me. I have been blessed with good health, an inquisitive mind, a more than acceptable level of intelligence and a keen, native wit.
So why do I often feel dull, uninterested and uninteresting? My mother, in one of her commentaries on life, once told me that “real living happened when one was courageous enough to look outside the narrow confines of a single life. Go out in the world and get involved in something that is bigger than yourself, because when you do all your petty concerns will fall away”.
I was about 15 at the time, and thought she had no idea what she was talking about, but over the years I’ve learned that this is just another fine example of her wisdom.
Now that both of my parents have passed away, it’s rather remarkable to realize how much of them lives on in me. As a kid I vowed to never be like my mother and father, yet now that I’m an adult I know how much they continue to influence the woman I am and the woman I am becoming. I get every bit of integrity, grit and feistiness that I have from my Mother and my Father’s legacy to me lives on in my soft, tender heart. My spirit and soul are infused with them both.
So how, you may well ask, have I arrived at a time in my life when I feel dull and uninvolved? Well, I guess I’m no different from many people who have worked hard and feel relatively successful in their lives. I have acquired most of the toys n’ things that I want, many more than I need, and while they are nice to have they have not brought me personal fulfilment. I find that I’m longing to connect to life “outside myself” – something bigger than myself. Sort of sounds like my Mother doesn’t it?
Which brings me to December 14th. – and the need to spring out of this self-imposed rut and dive headlong into the river of change. Because I’m an inveterate and incurable list maker – I wrote down the six things that were bugging me the most about my life. I had a little chat with Morpheus – the Greek god of dreams – and he suggested that I take some time to gaze at the stars and revive my dreams. With list in hand I’m on a mission of transformation.
We are all capable of so much more than we deliver. If I can do this – you can too. Make one change a week. Unleash your imagination and create a vision for yourself and your life that excites you. Start small and store every little victory away close to your heart to keep it warm. Be grateful for the courage it takes to alter your life. Change, if you let it, can become your most stalwart friend and your greatest teacher.
