Here comes change again
- Karen Wilson: Family Corner
- June 23, 2021
- 822
The old saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change.” Having spent most of my life in Ohio, I know that is a very true statement. But change goes further. Change happens and happens regularly in all stages of life.
No matter your politics or opinions on the pandemic, it certainly brought about changes in everything from work to school to basic supplies. Many used to going to work and school away from home found themselves learning new systems and skills to get tasks accomplished at home. Others found the businesses they worked in closed completely. Mundane supplies like toilet paper became a big deal. Lots of serious situation changes occurred in a fairly short amount of time.
Just as the change may have started to feel like a new normal, here comes the change again. Restrictions are being relaxed. Most businesses and schools have opened. Life is starting to look more like it did a year and a half ago. Although welcome, again, adjustments must be made.
So how do you handle change? Is it easy for you or do you struggle against it? Have you thought about it?
Does change surprise or frustrate you? Or do you embrace it, expect it and look forward to it.
Do you get bored if things stay the same too long? Or do you consider consistency a blessing? Do you look for ways to change things just for the sake of making things different? Or do you stay on one course until forced to alter your way?
When you travel, do you love a set itinerary or feel trapped by it? Does a flexible plan or complete lack of any plan thrill you with possibilities of discovery or leave you floundering for what to do next?
Do you look to the likely changes ahead and plan for them or just figure you will work it out when the time comes?
I’m not good at handling changes that come at me quickly. Last-minute changes in plans usually leave me sputtering a bit. I need a space to adjust. Because I know this about myself, I have learned to look for ways to handle change better.
I enjoy planning. I like to know how things are going to go. However, I know things rarely go exactly or even close to plan, so I build room into schedules for interruptions and alterations. By doing so, I avoid feeling frustrated.
Other members of my family feel restricted by too much planning and prefer to work things out as they go.
What’s your style? Does it work for you? Could you benefit from more structure? Or do you need to embrace more flexibility? What worked for you during all the recent changes or at other times in your life?
By considering what has and hasn’t worked for you, you can better prepare for the future. Changes, big and small, personal and universal, will happen. What’s your strategy for navigating it all successfully?