Change

I don’t always know how to greet Change when she comes knocking at my door, but inevitably, I’m glad I answered her call. She’s an interesting pal, and one from whom I usually end up learning a lot. She laughs when people mention her winds. Hell - winds is putting it mildly. Change is a hurricane. She’s a cyclone. She’s a typhoon. Her gale forces will knock you right on your ass, and that’s exactly her intention. She’s that friend who challenges you and pushes you to become the best version of yourself. And isn’t that what a good friend is supposed to do?

Change’s knock is unmistakeable, and she often shows up right when I feel most at ease. She comes to my threshold cloaked adventure. Her spirited frame fills my doorway, hands on hips, a broad, toothy smile on her face, and wildness in her eyes. She extends her hand, expecting me to follow her to the ends of the earth. Trust me, she trumpets. She winks, and I am bewitched.

Change makes outstanding promises, but she isn’t always so easy to get along with. Discomfort quivers at the sight of her. But who are we kidding? Discomfort lives in a permanent state of quiver. Change just makes him jitter more. She has a similar effect on Ambivalence too. But Change is charming, and she can easily mollify Discomfort and Ambivalence, seducing them with words like journey and exploration. Even experiment sounds harmless enough to make them follow her. It’s all semantics.

Risk begs at the heals of Change like a love-sick puppy, and that can be a little unnerving. Change is such a tease. She flirts with Risk, and sometimes, she goes a little too far. She gets drunk with Confidence, and high with Courage, and then there’s no stopping her. When she dances too long with Peril, cleaning up that mess isn’t for the faint of heart. In the midst of impending disaster, Change shrugs - she takes on none of the blame or responsibility. While she promises an odyssey of sorts, it clearly states in her brochure that she does not guarantee safety. When life goes awry, she smirks as if to ask, What? Isn’t this what you signed up for?

If I’m lucky, Change often meets up with Flourish, and then it’s absolutely cataclysmic. The fireworks, the electricity, the titillation are all palpable in these encounters. It’s like a rainbow meets a thunderstorm meets a meteor - and BAM! A permanent revolution. I find what I’ve been searching for my entire life, and there’s no going back.

It’s no surprise that Nostalgia struggles with Change. She knows Change’s visit is inevitable, and she knows I will strap on my sneakers and follow Change’s lead, but it’s not easy for her to watch. She stares with wet eyes and squeezes my hands one last time before she slips out into the shadows of the night. Nostalgia doesn’t travel with Change, but she has learned to let me go.

And go I must because it’s good to try something new. Change’s lessons never disappoint, and there’s so much still to learn.