Change and the Inspired Life

It is that time of year! You know the one where everything starts changing. We all know those famous lines by Reinhold Niebuhr "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change; the courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." Ralph Waldo Emerson said "We change, whether we like it or not." But Gallagher said it best "Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine." I just threw that one in because it made me laugh.

I went to Wendy's yesterday to get the kids some lunch and while I was in line I was watching the buzzing of activity in the McNeese State University dorms that were across the street. Students and parents were coming and going (and sweating) getting ready for their most current change in life. Most of those kids were in their late teens or early twenty's and I wonder if they understand the significance of where they are in life and the fact that they can change their whole future with choices and changes they make right now.

Then as I drove off I saw another woman, she looked to be in her early 30's, leaving the campus with her 4 small children in tow and a hand full of papers. I drove past her wondering what was she up to. Did she just enroll in school? Was she just picking up paperwork for someone else? My mind decided she was enrolling in school to change her future. What a wonderful thought. I sure hope she was. Was she taking that small step of change that would make her future and her children's future better?

School starts here in Lake Charles in two days. My kids are both really excited. They are tired of being home all the time and really look forward to getting back to school and seeing all of their friends. They are both in high school, which happens to be the same high school I went to, and I have to admit that I often feel the change in my life when I am dropping them off or picking them up. There have been many times when I am driving in front of the school and really expect to see my friends walking across the street from the parking lot. Where did those 25 years go? LOL When did I become a parent? Obviously a long time ago and I know you probably think I am crazy but there are days when I think to myself "Whoa, I am a parent."

Things change - that is just a fact. But it is how we anticipate, deal with and/or react to those changes that form our future. Do we always like change? Absolutely not! Changes brought on by death, divorce, disaster, the economy are usually not fun but as time pass we can see how our reactions to those changes affected our future. Do you resist change? I know several people who are truly resistant to change and would rather complain about change than do anything about it. Do you embrace change? Although change can be very scary it also can give you a fresh start, a new outlook and a renewed spirit.

So by now I hope you are ready to embrace change. Maybe there are things in your life you would like to change and just aren't sure how to. My personal experience has taught me that if you change one small thing at a time you will eventually see huge changes. A great example would be that maybe you should change the way you react when someone cuts you off in traffic or turns in front of you. Now if you notice I used the word "should" instead of "want to" in that sentence because a lot of people may not want to but they should change. I changed my reactions by making an effort to think about it at that moment. Did it happen immediately - no - but it did make me start thinking about it more often and after a while I wasn't even having to think about it any more. I was really just changing a bad habit but that small change in my life probably helped to reduce my blood pressure a little bit and my kids aren't scared to ride in the car with me. LOL

So what scary change is coming up for you or what change do you need to make in your life? I would love to know - please leave a comment and be sure to come back and let us know how your change is going.