Change. Is It Challenge Or Opportunity?

An early morning walk is a commitment to myself, a daily practice primarily for exercise and my Qi Gong routine of breath and stretch work.

As I walk through my community I notice how it has changed dramatically in many ways over the last few years. There is a lot of new construction of bigger buildings, apartment buildings, with a more modern style. Landscaping is cleaner and more precise. Even though the changes are heralding progress, and, no doubt, higher property values, I am feeling unsettled, and am experiencing a strangeness in this environment which has been mine now for many years.

Because I have walked early in the morning for so long, I have known the names of many of the workers on the beach and at the homes along the way. Always I talked to those workers as they began their daily chores. Some of them have retired and are no longer there .There are many new workers but they are mostly in construction teams. So it is not quite the same.

I miss those exchanges and the nourishing human contact. They were important for me, especially in the years of isolation caused by the pandemic. The years of the pandemic certainly diminished in-person social interaction in the community. Isolation and its effect surfaced as a common difficulty, one that became obvious in an overall state of reduced well-being. On-line and virtual conversations had to replace previous time spent in face to face communication. This has remained for the most part but there are many planned community events now with intention to bring people together and to receive the benefit of social interaction. The benefit is of course a healthier sense of well-being.

Recently In social media, I have seen an increase in posts that focus on wellness and identification of self, that is, who we are as individuals. My published book has the latter as its theme and how one can discover who the self was early in life and how it changes through a person’s life journey. When I wrote the book a few years ago the theme was not common. Now that theme is popping up everywhere.

Of course, change is inevitable, and for me the question now is, “Do I need to examine my current response to the changes of recent years and modify it to improve my well-being? For a while now I have been feeling negative about being restricted to my home, and to social engagement virtually through internet. It has also been very hot during the summer months, much hotter than in previous years, and outdoor activity has been restricted.

In order to keep myself busy, I started to take on new activities and to set new study goals. The result was self-induced “overwhelm” and the discovery of the need to “declutter” not only my physical environment, but also that of my mental and emotional perceptions. When one embarks on a process of change, it is with the knowledge that as the old and no longer relevant is discarded, space opens up to permit the entry of the new, and to creative discovery. I am feeling more positive about dealing with change, and even welcoming it.

How are you dealing with change? Please share. Would love to hear your thoughts.

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