Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host,
Barbara J.
Faison,
And my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2024 Week 28,
Embracing Change Again.
This is another episode about how change is the only constant in life.
Embrace change.
You probably got up this morning and got dressed.
You may have showered,
Brushed your teeth,
Eaten breakfast,
Driven to work,
And had a cup of coffee or tea.
You have already been through at least six changes.
Every moment is a new change.
Every second is different from the last one.
Change is a natural part of the life cycle.
Learning to embrace change is a major step toward peace of mind.
Imagine seeing an old friend whom you love dearly and giving him or her a loving hug.
Think of this image the next time you have to handle a major change in your life.
Picture yourself opening your arms and welcoming the opportunity to grow.
Change will show up at your door,
Regardless of how you feel about it.
Learn to open the door and welcome your new friend,
Change,
With a warm embrace.
Practice.
Think of all the things that change in one hour.
If you're having difficulty accepting change,
Repeat the affirmation,
I am open and willing to accept change in my life.
Affirmation,
I trust the process of life and I easily flow with change.
End of excerpt.
I hope you enjoyed the embrace change excerpt from my book,
Ebook,
Audiobook,
Why Struggle Life is Too Short to Wear Tight Shoes.
The only constant is change.
Everything must change.
Man plans and God laughs.
These quotes remind me of how important it is to learn to go with the flow of life.
Have you ever made a plan and just watched it completely fall apart?
Laughs.
Yep,
That's what happened to me over the long weekend last week.
My hubby T.
D.
And I were planning to visit his family in Tennessee over the 4th of July weekend.
We packed everything and we were on the way.
We stopped at Bucky's.
Yep,
Again.
T.
D.
Hadn't been able to reach his father,
So I reached out to his Aunt Del in the parking lot of Love's,
Which is across the street from Bucky's.
We went there because,
Well,
Bucky's didn't have hot chocolate.
T.
D.
Likes to mix hot chocolate with coffee.
Interesting.
We sat in the parking lot talking to both his Aunt and his father and we made the decision to turn around and go back home.
COVID-19 was increasing in the area,
So we headed back south.
Luckily,
We were only about an hour and a half away when we stopped.
Let the adventure begin,
I thought to myself with slight irritation.
I mean,
I had packed and we were turning around and going back home.
That meant I would have to unpack.
Welcome to change.
On the road,
I'd been texting with two of my oldest friends,
Suzanne and Gina.
I mentioned them in episode 2024,
Week three,
Know the Stages of Grief.
We've known each other since I was about five.
Suzanne has been in the area helping with her husband's mother and I randomly asked where she was.
Well,
She was in Kennesaw and we were in Ackworth,
Not too far away.
Hmm.
I texted.
We're in Kennesaw.
She told me she was getting a pedicure in the name of the shop.
Sounds like a stop to me.
Thanks to technology,
We found the shop and I was able to stop by and have a random chat and get some hugs.
On our drive back towards home,
We were trying to find a place to eat lunch.
All of the places we stopped by were closed for the 4th of July.
I suspect because many people cook out and those restaurants were not barbecue places.
About 30 minutes closer to our home,
We stopped by a barbecue place that was open.
We got something to eat and I noticed a young woman who was leaving and called out her name.
It was an intern that I knew from when I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers,
PwC,
Over seven years ago.
We hugged and agreed to reconnect via LinkedIn.
We finally made it home about six hours later.
I thought about the emotions I felt throughout the day.
Traveling can make me feel a little antsy and it was hot.
In the span of a day,
We have so many feelings and emotions.
Here are just a few I experienced.
Agitation.
Last minute packing.
Unpacking.
Sadness.
I no longer have parents,
Grandparents,
Aunts,
Or uncles.
Joy.
Seeing my oldest friend,
Suzanne.
Hangry.
Well,
Hungry and angry.
Grateful.
To be home and sleep in my own bed.
Did I do some deep breathing throughout the day?
I sure did.
When I find myself getting agitated,
My go-to breathing practice is to breathe in for a count of four and out through my mouth for a count of seven or eight.
Change will happen.
Do you stop planning?
I don't think so.
Life continues to be a practice in adaptability and flexibility.
I believe everything that happens is purposeful.
I have not seen my friend Suzanne since the funeral we attended in January for Gina's mother.
It was great to see her and laugh and get a few hugs.
Life is full of change.
We can be mad or create adventures.
Embrace change,
Be kind,
And much more.
My book,
Why Struggle?
Life is Too Short to Wear Tight Shoes,
Is filled with 25 practices and five meditations and affirmations to help you manage this unpredictable journey called life.
I'm learning to laugh more and be less serious when change happens because it will.
What about you?
How do you manage life's unpredictable changes?
You can leave a comment wherever you're listening to this podcast.
