Embracing Change
Adapt, then overcome. Be Gumby. Be flexible. Roll with the punches. Don’t fight the wind.
When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.
Embracing Change
It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.
Use whatever turn of phrase or aphorism you’d prefer but employ adaptability in your life as you traverse the winding roads you come across.
Adaptability is the ability to change, evolve, and grow in response to the shifting sands of life. There, another turn of phrase. A colloquialism, if you will. Adaptability is what allows us to navigate through life’s uncertainties with grace and resilience.
You must understand that change is the only constant in this life. Your life will be mired in change until it ceases, God willing that will be far into the future.
If it is in the cards that your life is long and well versed, you have a mountain of change to look forward to. It won’t be the jingle-jingle type of change, though I’m sure you’ll accrue that too, but the annoying type of change.
Change can be seen and instantiated in multiple ways simultaneously. We’ve already gone over the jingle-jingle coin type of change. What else is there you ask? I’ll tell you!
There are Biblical interpretations of change that I gravitate towards when using the word in conversation. It can be used to describe the transformation of the individual, or growth. It could also be used, Biblically speaking, as the unfolding of God’s plan.
There are many moving parts to that plan and we cannot see them ahead of time unless He lets us know. It’s the progressive revelation of God’s will and its fulfillment.
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
Change, my dear children, is the intricate dance of life that plays out across the universe, from the shifting of seasons to the growth of a tiny seed into a towering tree. It’s an inevitable part of existence, woven into the very fabric of our world.
In the context of our lives, change can take many forms. It can be as simple as a new haircut, as complex as a career shift, or as profound as the evolution of our beliefs and values.
It is the transformation of circumstances, environments, and even ourselves over time. It can be sudden or gradual, expected or unexpected, but it is always an opportunity for growth, learning, and new experiences.
Change has wonderful and joyous properties. It has the possibility to be life affirming and to provide unfathomable strength. It can be deadly, too. What a change in tone, right? Everything changes.
Even the words I write on these pages today will change. Not the words themselves but what they say to whomever reads this later. The meaning will change, what you notice will change. They won’t be different words, not literally. But you will be different, I will be different.
We will have changes as individuals and so what we take from the words themselves will change. Change is inevitable, change is constant, change is everywhere at all times.
We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.
So adapt. Keep adapting as you need to. Occasionally you’ll need to adapt into a wall and tell change to shove off, too. That’s still adaptation. Allow change to crash into you and either bounce off or shatter into pieces, then adapt again and embrace the next piece of change coming your way.
All of it counts, all of it matters. Just be open to adapting as you need to in order to live properly in an ever changing world.
Change for the sake of change is cancer though. Don’t just accept change because it is change. Sometimes fences are where they are for a reason, something G.K. Chesterton so effectively taught us all until the majority of people forgot.
Don’t remove those fences just because it’s the easiest manifestation of change you can manage. If you have more questions about how change for the sake of change is dangerous don’t worry. There is a later section within “On Entropy” dealing with unmitigated growth. I go hard in that part so it has been addressed.
Sometimes, life doesn't go the way we plan. Our best-laid plans can unravel in the blink of an eye. We may face unexpected challenges, or our goals may shift as we grow and learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
In these moments, it can be tempting to resist change, to cling to our comfort zones. But resisting change is like trying to swim against the tide—it's exhausting and ultimately unproductive.
Instead, it's far more beneficial to learn to adapt, to go with the flow, to ride the waves of change rather than fight against them. Adaptability doesn't mean giving up on your dreams or settling for less than you deserve.
Instead, it's about being flexible in your approach. It's about understanding that there may be different paths to your goal and being open to exploring them. It's about learning from your experiences, growing from your mistakes, and continually striving to improve and evolve.
As your dad, I encourage you to embrace adaptability. Welcome new experiences with an open mind. Be curious, be flexible, and be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Understand that it's okay to change your mind, to change your direction, and to grow into the person you're meant to be.
Remember, life is a journey of constant learning and growth, and adaptability is a crucial part of that journey. With adaptability in your toolkit, you'll be able to navigate through life's uncertainties with grace, resilience, and an unquenchable thirst for learning and growth.
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