Change is Constant and Perspective Changes Everything

Recently, I had the privilege to travel with my family.  We spent time in Newport Beach, CA, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.  In so many moments of these trips I was reminded that the change in our lives is constant, and perspective changes everything.

I can take myself back to the beach even now.  Each wave, a new opportunity, a crescendo and a crash.  Each breath a new opportunity, an expansion and a release.  The shorelines forever being reshaped.  Grooving my toes into the sand in the shallow surf, only to have the grains swept away and brought back but not quite the same.  Low tide, high tide, low high tide and high low tide - forever changing, each moment of each day.  The shape of the moon moving from almost full to full and back again.  Watching sunrises and sunsets.  Even if you sat at the same spot at the same moment, they are always different, always changing.

In Grand Teton, a quiet hike is changed when horses cross our path.  In Yellowstone, the geysers erupt, the pools change color, maybe on a schedule, but usually not.  Even the routine is changing based on the unseen undercurrents in the earth.  The pools fill, start to overflow, and gush dancing water into the sky.  And I can't forget the clouds lifting by and the birdsongs.  Reminders everywhere of wild animals that are truly wild, no matter how docile they seem (thank you Bear and Bison).  The views all moving, all changing.  Change in every glance, every moment, every everything.

And then there was me being asked to change on these trips.  Events in my life exploding all over these trips, like some really unfriendly wave or geyser.  The little girl in me would tell you she was being forced to change, that this was no 'opportunity'.  I could feel the undercurrents within me starting to broil, to fill, to overflow, and blow just like a geyser.  Because... I didn't want this change.  Things were fine.  I was contented, I was lulled, and I forgot - change is constant.  

No matter your spiritual practice, your awareness, your happiness - change will happen.  In reflecting on these changes in my life, I have been reminded of the power of presence, perspective, and uncertainty.    

For me, I had to take some time to be present with myself to grieve what I thought I wanted, what I thought I had, before I could even get a handle on my perspective.  And when I got to that place where I could be with it with more neutrality, I recognized that my perspective changes everything about change.  I could choose to focus on the pain of the change.  I could choose to be the victim of this circumstance.  Or, with fresh eyes I could live in the world of possibility of what can be created from this new vantage point.  I chose to surrender to what is, and not cling to what was.  That cling felt very much like trying to hold on to a receding wave.  With this perspective, I can look for the blessings, gratitudes, and attitudes of change.

And now, a few weeks later I know change is what I crave.  I choose growth in this life.  Change is what I want to be able to fulfill my truth and purpose.  Change is still happening for me, sometimes fast and sometimes slower than slow.  I have no certainty about what will be become of all of it, except that it will be the best part of my life yet.   What I remember now is that in uncertainty, everything is possible.

In any change, one part ends, and something else comes anew.  I choose to create that new from a place of power, choice, and possibilities.  We are not the victims of change.  On the soul level, we are the change makers.  I am looking forward to our world changing.  May you feel empowered to create the change you wish to see or flow in the change you are receiving.  Surrendering to change is not a weakness, it is a super power.  I know the change I am receiving is the healing that I have been asking for (for many many many years).  I know my resistance to it is fear.  But a little perspective tells me, there is nothing to fear here.  And when I am back to full power, I can't wait to see what I create.  

In Grand Teton, we moved across a lake bringing one mountain closer and making another disappear from view.  An entire mountain seemingly gone.  A very literal translation of how perspective can change everything.   If you get a chance to visit any National Park, GO!  In these parks, the awe inspiring beauty of nature can lift any gaze to a broader plane (plain) and gives you the opportunity to feel the majesty of mother earth holding us in her stability.