“This too shall pass”
-Abraham Lincoln, possibly
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”
-Benjamin Franklin
“Change is the only constant in life”
-Heraclitus
“Everything changes, whether you want it to or not”
-me
When we are not in acceptance of the fact that change is a constant, and we forget that the Universe abhors a vacuum, we cannot see that the Universe never takes something away without offering us something even more appropriate to our situation in its place. Please remember that acceptance of a thing or an act does not constitute consent, merely that you understand that it is.
Remember, also, that healing often requires change. Many people ask for healing without really thinking about what it is they are asking. I think what most people are actually asking for is comfort. If there is discomfort, whether on a physical, emotional, or mental level, it is because something is off balance and needs to be righted.
Humans don’t generally do change gracefully, otherwise they wouldn’t need help though it. We tend to come to real change kicking and screaming, and have to be fairly beat up to want to do it at all. This isn’t changing your hair color or your style or your car. This is changing your ideas, your paradigm, how you interact with the world, and your view of yourself. This is changing your narrative about the past and the future, and agreeing to be HERE NOW. Where it takes you is going to be awesome, the process will likely require some upheaval.
Make a list of five instances in your life when something has ended or left or been taken away, only to have something else appear for you that, in the long run, made an improvement in your life. Can you see how, if you had been acceptance of how things truly are in the moment, you might have embraced the changes and made more headway for yourself? Is there something in your life recently that has caused you to feel a loss? Without dishonoring the importance that this had in your life, can you see the possibilities that its departure offers you? Can you at least allow for the idea that those possibilities exist?
This post is part of a new series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram, if that’s a medium you enjoy.