Change

Change, good or bad, can be stressful and scary. All of us establish routines, and have 'comfort zones' where we are used to dealing with certain situations, and have established control over our lives. This is disrupted when our lives change in a major way.

Change can be good, or bad. We can go through the misfortune of losing a home or loved one, as so many have in the recent natural disaster involving a tsunami. For those who survived, finding a new home, and a new life, is very stressful.

Good change involves achieving a desired promotion, marriage, children, etc. As much as we may look forward to these good changes, they do take us out of our comfort zones and expose us to new situations.

Sometimes, we need to pause, and take stock of our lives. For instance, after raising my family, I chose to return to school. These changes are not always easy, but they can add to our lives if we have the courage to make them.

The only sure thing in your life, is that somehow, it will change. Take time to review how you feel about your own life; and have the courage to make changes if they are needed. Here are some changes that can affect your life in a positive way:

More education, that will lead to different life paths
Changing jobs, or seeking a promotion
Choosing to move either locally or to a different state or country
Examining your relationships and making changes if necessary.
Taking control of your body: exercise, weight loss, eating something besides junk food
Getting involved and volunteering your time for a good cause

I have shared with you about how I decided after raising my family, to return to school. It has taken courage and stamina to keep up, but I believe it will be worthwhile. Have any of y'all made deliberate changes in your life? How did you feel?

I was hurt over 7 years ago at work. Change was thrust at me and said here you go buddy now what? I can't do what I used to do. I went back to school got re-trained for something else and went looking for work. After two years of looking without any success I decided I'd try to get paid for something I liked doing. My reptile collection grew (X5) and I started breeding on a larger scale. I'm by all means not going to be putting Rich or anyone else out of business. I have a variety of reptiles and projects since there is a variety of people out there that like different things.

"mobilis n mobili " sums up my life pretty well...a constant swirl of changes going on ! Have had to work at jobs that I hated, grit your teeth and go forward...now and again, I get a commission that I love, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Trying to keep flexible about approaches to daily life forces a series of altering events...keeping on the mental toes can be a chore.
It seems that many of us have been through the wringer a few times...but, that also makes for great stories at a barbeque, and a fair amount of laughter...

greg

Changes? Getting married at 19, divorced at 25, entering the army later that year, getting promoted to sgt in Feb 03, getting deployed in Feb 03, finding out 2nd husband was a lying cheating theiving cocaine addict upon return, another divorce, hurting my back this past may, and now getting out of the army after over 6 years and going back to college...I am still waiting to find a "comfort zone" again. Only thing I can do is "Change, adapt, and overcome." Situations may take me down (fighting) but I don't stay down for long. Assess, adjust fire, and drive on, as we said in the NCO corps. I just find myself wishing for something stable for some period of time. Perhaps that is why I love my critters so much: the dog will always depend on me, the cats will always either mug me for attention or observe with aloof detachment, and the snakes are the snakes LOL. Everything else is in a state of flux.

Katrina: Good word you found, flux.
I am for various reasons finding that I am changing and gaining insight at a far greater rate than I had anticipated. It is both scary and heady, sort of like being on a roller coaster. This is due not only to changes I have myself engineered within my life, but also attributable to some who have chosen to teach me and open doors I did not know existed.

Flux.

Now that I think about it, there has been a lot of changes in my life. Married at 18, moved 4 times in 10 years, a son, and now a divorce. But now that the ex is out of my life, it looks like I may finally have some stability. No more moving for his job, I can stay here if I want to. No more changing jobs every couple years. Finally, I can look forward to making friends and *keeping* them for a while!

We welcome you here as a friend; and it sounds like you have indeed had your hands full!!

Change?

Well let's see...

I grew up in the same house from 3 years old to 23 years old.

Junior college from 18 to 23...

Moved out at 23, then back in again, then went on a mission....

During my mission, I lived in 7 locations over 18 months, and had to learn how to speak spanish (or never speak or communicate). Had to put down the computer for 18 months. (HARD)

After my mission, I was home for a few weeks (but parents sold the house I grew up in, so new house!) and went off to university... lived on campus, and in three off-campus locations. College by definition is change... every semester or quarter, you're immersed in a new learning set.

After college my desired change (grad school) crumbled as I was turned down at all the schools I applied for.

Went home and worked as a shipping clerk in california until I got a job as a college professor in Utah... did that for a year, but couldn't support myself on it. Decided to pull up stakes and move to Georgia...without a job or a permanent place to live. (had a temporary place).

Got to Georgia, determined to never teach again, and within a week had a job teaching and living at a boarding school. Met hubby. Got married. Boarding School didn't want us anymore so we went looking for jobs and were offered jobs in Vale Colorado, and in Washington DC, and in Buckeye Arizona. Moved to Arizona, lived 40 miles from work and commuted.

Two years ago, we bought our first house.

Last June, one of hubby's daughters chose to come and live with us permanently.

CHANGE??? yeah, you got it. Tons of change.

But what goes with change? LEARNING. I've learned a lot, and done a lot, but by golly, I'm GLAD that I have a HOME to live in, and a permanent job. I don't much care for changes of location or employment and I've had way too many of those!

Wow, you sound like whatever life threw your way, you dealt with and learned from. That rocks!