The word change can either excite you or terrify you, depending on your personality. I have friends that are thrilled by change and change as much in their lives as possible all the time. Then, I have friends who are comfortable in the rut, and change is like a disease to avoid. I can’t quite decide where I fall in this scale.
The more I thought about it, a few funny stories came to mind, and I realized that most of the changes we face are not by choice. Even the adjustments to the most mundane things in life make us squirm.
Uh-oh. Have they changed my toothpaste or deodorant again? Or worse, the packaging? When I get the notification that my cell phone needs to be updated, I just want to scream, “Why?” And right when I thought I was learning to use the thing! And let’s not forget the shifts in the digital world. I mean really—the transition from TV to Netflix is terrifying for me.
I often laugh at change when it comes to me. I recently got new glasses. I actually admired these frames on a friend at church, and she gave me the information so that I could have a pair just like hers! Now, she is a highly sophisticated person, and the glasses look fabulous on her. But when I got them, I was unsure. I already had the lenses put in, so I had no choice but to wear them. I secretly hoped no one would notice, but they did! In fact, young people complimented them most often. Hallelujah!
Change really hits home when it comes to hair color. I mean this is just not something to play around with, people! I had been coloring my hair at home before the highlights, lowlights, and other design elements that are popular today came in at hair salons. I had my formula perfected. Then, one Saturday morning, I decided I would try a natural product that was supposedly safer. Was I feeling guilty that I had been damaging my hair? Who knows. I went home, shampooed the “natural” auburn color in, and whammooooo—Christmas red!
Oh my gosh… OK no problem, I can fix this. Six washes, and it will be out because it’s temporary, right? Nope, not temporary. In fact, it got brighter with each wash. So I put on a ball cap and returned to the store to purchase another color to cover my rather festive locks. But again, no luck. Did I mention I was playing the organ the next day at church?
I am in full blown panic mode at this point. So, I remembered the temporary color that my grandmother used, and I returned to the store to buy some of that. I finally toned down enough to get through church the next day. I was a mess all due to change. From that day on, I now have a wonderful person who handles my hair. Imagine if I had my stylish glasses back then, the kids would have really loved that!
On a more serious note—I believe we have to simply embrace change. It is a part of life that comes with maturing and entering new phases. We learn a lot about ourselves when we experience change, because it causes us to persevere. We grow along the way as we enter new times, and hopefully, we will handle them well.