CHANGE
Cartoon pen & watercolour 9″ x 12″
Artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman (c) 2008
Change is the one constant in our ever changing world. We can fight it… but we will never be able to resist it’s overwhelming force.
We may slow it… by committing ourselves to a set of similar daily tasks in the hope of staving off the inevitable. But despite our best efforts… the time for change will inevitably come.
And when it does… we have a choice. We can go with the flow. Or we can resist… and cling to what we know. Resistance of course is useless… as once the fates have decided that change is on it’s way… nothing will stop the inevitable wind-out of events pre-destined to occur.
“The fates lead he who will… he who won’t… they drag” - Seneca
Have you noticed how you can feel change coming? I remember my 94 year old aunt once remarking rather dramatically…
“the winds of change cast their shadows before them”
I wondered at the time what that meant. Over the years… each time change has occurred in my life… those words have come back to me. The full impact of their meaning is now clearly etched!
You may have also noticed by now… a rather funny thing about change.
Good change is almost always slow… the kind of change we can prepare for. It usually involves plans and goals that we have set and can work toward… we call this progress.
Bad change… on the other hand… is the kind of change that “never entered our worried mind”… the kind that blindsides us at 4pm on some idle Tuesday! LOL It strikes when we are least expecting it… leaving us vulnerable and often tragically unprepared.
Fear is always at the heart of our resistance to change. That’s only natural. But change is a necessary part of life. A quick look around tells us that nothing stays the same… life is not static… and it’s not meant to be.
We need look no further than nature for a few clues. The weather changes daily… and the seasons change quarterly. Trees grow and then die. Leaves once new are then shed. Water falls from the sky and fills the creeks and watercourses… and soon they are dry again as the water finds it’s way to the sea to begin the cycle again. The beautiful butterfly that rests on that perfect flower… will only live for one day.
So I guess… the lesson for us is to get in there and live it. Accept the inevitable changes that come our way… even if we don’t particularly like the sound of them or the way they look! All is not what is seems… it seems ~grin~… so we must have faith!
“Sometimes we stare so long at the door that is closing… that we see too late the one that is open” - Alexander Graham Bell
Hindsight is a great teacher. Looking back it is only the things I didn’t do that I regret. So from here on in… I make my peace with change. I submit to the new changing pattern of my life and the events that are unmistakably unfolding… and look forward with great optimism to the future!
“One does not discover new lands without first consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time” - Andre Gide
February 24th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
At age 77 I am reminded of a spanish proverb, ” My deepest remorse is for the sins I did not commit.” lol
February 24th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
(((chuckles))) It’s odd I guess what people regret. As a dear friend of ours (in his late 50s) lay dying… having lived his whole life to the full (plenty of adventure… several wives and many girlfriends all of whom still loved him… a magnificently successful career in a field he loved) his only regret was having been so health conscious… and not having drunk more Bollinger!
February 25th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Plenty of time left Roger…you go for it . I let that chance just slip away but I do try
to find a little tiny wee sin grin
February 25th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Every day is a new day with plenty of time and opportunity for change. It’s only our resistance to it that prevents it. Another friend (in his mid 70s) has just retired from medical practice and is now pursuing a degree in law. He now wants to be a lawyer when he grows up! ~grin~
February 25th, 2008 at 7:15 am
My life path has changed many times…I COULD have been so many things (grin!) but decided to “go with the flow” as you said Jean. It took me many places and I met and kept many friends. It is because of that I feel I can understand many people and their individual scenarios…that I can embrace empathy and encouragement for those who may need it. I can also share many memories from my past with some amazing people who have the same memory!! How COOL is that???? I await the winds of change with eagerness and passion like I never had before. I have absolutely no desire to stay as I am (heaven forbid!!!!!!) and my binoculars are poised, waiting for that door to open! Bring it on I say….bring it on!!!
Hey Roger…I eagerly await any tales you will bring back from your next trip!!!!! And Elinor…a little, tiny, wee sin gives us all a huge grin!!! I have vowed to myself that once my winds of change have swept through and blown out all of the dust that has accumulated around me….I will live life with a hunger!!!
February 25th, 2008 at 8:33 am
That’s the spirit Jools!
February 25th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Cool!
February 25th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
OMG … It’s SERENDIPITY TIME again! Jean, you’ve no idea how timely your message is to me. My life is in transition again (if I go with it), the good kind of transition (if I plan a bit), and such an exciting chain of events. Yet in my gut I feel/fear that the change of surprise is just on the edge of it all … that kind that knocks the wind out of you. Life is teaching me that the pendulum always swings, the scales always try to balance. With some good we find some bad, and when there is so much bad we just don’t know how we can live with it, the pendulum swings the other way or the scales start to tip, and suddenly we find ourselves bombarded with GOOD change if we can just recognize it and GO WITH IT! Currently, I am receiving all kinds of serendipity messages to put myself full time into ART … still I hesitate and try to hold on to the status quo, in other words no matter how much I want a life filled with art, I am resistant and a bit fearful. I ask myself, “Is this art studio & gallery a practical, sane venture?” Simultaneously, my inner voice whispers, “It’s an ADVENTURE. If not now, then when?” Thanks so much for writing this wonderful philosophical article about change! It’s serendipity all the way through … for me!
February 26th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Thats going with the flow Vernita!!! You are so right in what you say..the spirit level of life is never even, but it is always there!!! My biggest fear is - fear itself…just shut your eyes and jump in girl!! Its there for you and you have “created it yourself”…build it and they will come!!! We never get sunshine without the rain (says she who has had a storm cloud over head for months…Lol!!) We all have detours, distractions and sometimes a totally different highway pops up in front of us (which there is no map for!!!) but …..that is the richness of life, that is the essence of what makes us who we are and what we do. When I saw you doing what you are doing with your studio/gallery..I was (and still am!!) so happy for you!!! Courage comes from a quiet place…it whispers, this must be done! Aaahhh….the sweet, sweet smell of freedom and adventure!
February 26th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thanks Vernita… you’re very welcome!
I’m never sure if these revelations actually ever help anyone… so it’s great to hear that it means something to someone somewhere! I think it helps to know that we are all out on the sea in the same boat… sometimes it’s rough and sometimes it’s smooth sailing… but always always… the weather is changing! LOL Vernita… listen to that inner voice… it knows!
[There's definitely something in the "changing" air at the moment! By strange coincidence at Yoga this morning... our teacher waxed lyrical about (you guessed it) CHANGE... and how we must allow ourselves to let go of the river bank and just flow out to sea! All I can say is we're gonna need a mighty big boat out there if we're all in this together! (((LOL)))]
February 26th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
QUOTE Courage comes from a quiet place…it whispers, this must be done! UNQUOTE
Jools… this insight is profound… and could only have come from a place of significant experience. Further evidence that immense good can come from bad. I hope it won’t last too much longer though… suffering is a rather high price to pay for wisdom don’t you think?
February 26th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Yeah…but sometimes we just don’t have a choice. That quote is actually my sisters..said at a time when she was calling on her own strength to get through a difficult time of her own. When I think it for myself, I hear her voice saying it. Another quote that I absolutely adore is…”follow the bliss!!!” Quite apt for this topic and when I feel a bit lost!
February 27th, 2008 at 8:13 am
When it comes to fate and the winds of change I guess none of us really has a choice… we just like to THINK we do! Funny how sometimes… despite our best efforts to the contrary… stuff still unravels just the way we didn’t want it to!
My mother used to love to say… “Man proposes - God disposes” Odd how some of those old sayings had teeth! (((LOL)))
February 27th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Lol! indeed!
Hey Jean…speaking of change, we have had a couple of weeks of very dry and hot weather - did you send me some rain: a”change” in the weather????
February 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am
It poured early this morning, accompanied with thunder and lightning..huge storm!! It lasted for hours! Its wonderful!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Still hot and humid here. Warmth is one thing… but the humidity’s such a killer. And the r-a-i-n… well… what can I say? Surely soon a cool change?
February 27th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I’ll send you some of mine !!! The “change” is in the air!! Lovely cool sleepable nights and heavy dews in the morning. Now we have had some rain there will be winter crops too!!! You may need to come down here Jean???? I’m sure we will get “good” snow this year!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Hmmm…lots to mull over here! I believe change is inevitable and a good thing too! But do I believe in the fates? In predestination? Nah! I believe in spiritual “persuasion” but, correct me if I’m wrong, why would the Creator expend so much innovative energy making predictable puppets when the Spirit has opportunity to interact and play with its creative children? Wouldn’t predestination be exceedingly dull to the maker of all things? I like to think of myself as a co-creator; gifted by God to conjure things unique and new. I believe this sort of energy is like an offering of prayer and that it pleases the Spirit to act in kind. I think God relishes change for change provides creative opportunity to make this world a better place. (How about that for a mini sermonette?! I’ll climb out of the pulpit now…)
February 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
You’re right of course Mary… predestination can only ever be a theory at best. There are many forks in the road… (and just as many possibilities)… and whichever road we choose to take will lead us to someplace different. To my knowledge no-one has ever gone back to that fork in the road to make enquiries about what might have happened had they chosen the other way! (Though it might be fun to do that… were it possible! LOL)
Your philosophy is wonderful… I like it very much. God (or the universal spirit) as a kind of co-conspirator in the life of willing participants. The co-creator of good works! It’s funny you should mention this… as I have lately had the overwhelming feeling that the project I am currently working on is [definitely] being chanelled from somewhere. With words and pictures coming at me almost faster than I can get them down… something is definitely going on here! LOL And oh how I’m loving it!
February 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Had to laugh… I just picked up today’s paper and read my stars… (something I almost never do) You’re not going to believe this!
“The planets generate change which may be initially unsettling. The secret lies in being philosophical and accepting that destiny is playing a part in your future direction. Any turmoil is likely to be short-lived”
Dang… now I’m just downright confused!!! *wink* *wink* ~chuckles~
February 27th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Jean…from where I stand, I see that we do create our destiny by the choices we do make. It is what we do with the those choices that changes the whole idea..sliding doors??? My thoughts are…. I am where I am because of WHO I am. Some parts of me are inevitable due to who my parents are and how they raised me, the rest has been my choice and what happens to me at the same time. Do I sit down and cry - or do I get up and make the best of what I have. Do I see what CAN happen..or do I have no vision at all? I do believe in miracles…but I DO think that it has to be a collective consciousness that drives it. If enough people believe …more will follow.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I am referring to world wide changes…not my own!!!!
February 27th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
But why not..sorry jean, I keep having “after thoughts!” I do believe that I will get better, with everyone elses belief of that - I DO get stronger!!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
All good thoughts Jools
February 28th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Jean, you are a free spirit in the best sense! You seem unfettered by the prejudice and derrogatory jargon so prevalent in this day and age. The politics and social injustices of the world and are curiosities to you but don’t burden you with resentment. In other words, I think your outlook on life is one of the healthiest I know. Because you don’t seem enslaved by ideleologies you have the freedom to explore and discern the world around you with fresh eyes. Your open mind equips you with relational tools that can only add profound depth to your life’s perspective. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you have tapped a wellspring of the Spirit in your work. I think an open mind is a virtual playground for the co-conspirator, co-creator, channeller, universal spirit, God… What a blessing!
Jools, you ARE a miracle! And of course you are right. The world around us has moulded and shaped us into so many impressions of our selves. Isn’t it wonderful to also harbor some of that power and influence to rework our pliant souls into a novel shape? I know that my soul has been altered by your influence. Your steadfast courage and spirit has changed my soul in a deep way. I guess I see God as a sort of orchestrator of all our souls…a co creator that derives great joy from loving relationships. If I’m open to the universal spirit then, through its gentle persuassion, I have the resources and means to live a meaningful life.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:45 am
I love the opportunities Jeans blog presents to me…I love where the “thread” goes and what people add to it, to enrich each thread she does bring to us….thankyou Jean! It has allowed me to be more honest with myself, more than anything else! And Mary…what a delightful soul you are!!! I have always been a bit of a battler and even a “loner”…due to the “changes” that have jumped in and forced me to take a closer look at myself and others. The loner part, is no longer true…which is really nice!!! I used to run away and “force” change as I could not deal with certain things..but the fact remained..that where ever I went - I took myself with me!!! Now that I can’t “run”, I have to find another way.
The changes in life are lessons in some ways. I think about the old saying that a leopard never changes it spots. In some cases that is very true…but I have seen people make assesments of their lives and how they have affected others, to make changes to themselves for a better quality and smoother flow.
I used to change the furniture around when I got stressed…”a change is as good as a holiday!!!” Lol!
February 28th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Hmmm….some divine intervention on my last submission????….That’s o.k. It’s worded far better than what I had originally!
February 28th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Gosh Mary… did you have a post go astray? I went back and checked the spam filter… sometimes legitimate posts go there by accident… but couldn’t see anything there. Another Wordpress mystery it would seem!?
Thanks for taking the time to re-post… it’s always a pain to have to do that… as it always seems to me that once the thought or idea finds the page… having served it’s purpose… (made it’s statement if you will)… it can never be repeated in exactly the same way. Believe me… I know what a drag it can be to try to reshape those thoughts all over again! But I do appreciate it… and am truly humbled by your more than generous assessment of me! LOL
February 28th, 2008 at 9:36 am
You’re very welcome Jools. If this blog can be the conduit for something bigger than “itself”… then my expectations for it will have been well and truly exceeded.
February 28th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Change is the one thing that doesn’t change, huh, Jean? I actually don’t think there’s such a thing as “bad” change, because change is impervious to value judgment. There’s change we might prefer to do without, but as has been said by folks wiser than I, close a door and open a window, or something of the sort.
February 28th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
John… [sadly] bad change does exist. It’s the kind of change that almost always happens with very little or no warning. Most often it is really difficult to see a reason for it. Sometimes there IS no reason. There is no “window open somewhere”… just a door slamming shut on life as we knew it. The sudden and tragic loss of a loved one for example… or to a lesser degree… the loss of home… livelihood… or health. Sudden and significant loss inevitably leads to sudden and significant change… change that we know there will be no coming back from… and after which… nothing can ever be the same again.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Oh my…Jean..I SO back you up on this one!!! Sometimes change can make you stronger…only IF you are that way inclined in the first place! It totally depends on the way you look at life….. before the change - and before you can even imagine any KIND of change! If you are a person who totally relies on a particular source of “strength” and then that strength is gone…in a miniscule moment of time, you either sink or swim! You are either beaten …or you fight. I still maintain..it is and always will be “survival of the fittest”. In Australia ( sorry Jean…you did stipulate “only postive comments” here..but in a way I AM being positive!) We have the highest rate of suicide amongst young people (under 25 yrs). That rate has been increased due to drought…for some people..they cannot find “another way!” They have no hope….and that saddens me immensely.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
[Oh Jools... on the contrary... ALL comments (positive and negative) are very welcome. Nothing is ever black and white... and everyone knows there is no light without the dark! My comment "bring it on - but only the good stuff" was addressed to THE FATES (the universe... whoever)... to let them know I'm ready and willing... but warning them also... only the good stuff please! LOL ]
Change is an impossible conundrum. No wonder we resist it. We humans have a keen instinct for comfort. And we don’t like it when the continuum is interrupted!
But change is our only opportunity for growth. Once we realise that and let go… we can move forward and grow in the way of all natural things. It hurts tho. Especially when the change is sudden and there is no time to prepare. Fortunately… being the adaptable creatures that we are… we do in time adjust each in our own way… but the change is still irrevocable. Years after the loss… the table would still (on occasion) inadvertently be set for six. And I’m sure ours was not the only one.
I’m going to risk controversy here and suggest that the suicide rate in under 25s has pretty much nothing to do with the drought. The drought gets blamed because of the financial hardship that it brings… but there is financial hardship everywhere. The problem lies with children raised in a material world. When the money dries up… there is nothing to fall back on. I am certainly not attempting to trivialise financial hardship… it’s tough… really tough… but back in the days of whole families with intergenerational support people had emotional support… and a different set of values. My mother grew up in a very large family with limited means… she would always say… “we were not rich but we were happy” Her other favourite saying was “we were poor… but mother always made sure we didn’t look it” (((LOL)))
February 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I understand what you are saying and can agree with you to a certain extent. But when a young man has to shoot animals because he cannot grow fodder and nor can he afford to hand feed them (let alone himself) from a farm that has been “passed down” (when the farm is already owned by the banks!!!) there is no amount of help that can be given to save not just a livelihood, but a “way of life”. I have worked on one of these farms myself and have dragged dead or dying sheep out of bog holes that were once filled with water. I have heard of other farmers breaking down completely as they leave their heritage with only suitcases to try and find work in a city they have never been to. The drought has broken here (Central West) but further west, it is still “dry” where paddocks are no more than dust and dams resemble meteorite hits. I know of orchardists who have ploughed in acres of fruit trees and sold off blocks to help keep the family home. It is not just the younger ones who are “calling it quits”. Yes they have choices and yes they can be retrained or find work elsewhere, but the financial hardship lies much deeper than being raised in a material world. Large families, where the generational support helps combat the “forces” are few and far between now. Most families consist of the 2.5 children and some of those children have parents under the age of 25. I heard a story once about a woman who vowed she would not give up, she would not leave her home until the grass died around the perimeter of her house.It did and she left. Your mother was lucky Jean, she did not endure at least 7 yrs of no rain at all. I remember a story I told a few months back about 2 children aged about 7 and 8 who drowned in a dam they had never seen water in. They were the only children of a young family…kind of shows what living without water can be like.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
With respect… there are two different issues here Jools. No-one (least of all me) is denying the tragedy of the drought and it’s terrible impacts upon farming communities across this country. Equally… no one is denying that the drought has contributed to the escalating rate of suicide. But youth suicide in the under 25 age demographic appears to be across the board in terms of gender race or socio economic circumstance and has no established or easily discernible one single cause.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I am aware of that Jean…but I am also aware of how “change” in peoples lives can sometimes not be good. I am not saying that ALL suicides occur due to drought…I am saying though, that the statistics of young rural “people” choosing this “answer” has been on the rise. Depression that leads to suicide, is a loss of hope for change. Thankfully the rain has come to many areas and people can regain some hope for their future…that they can “change” their outlook from bleak ……to bright again!
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:40 am
I seem to have yanked the brakes on here with this…sorry Jean!! But..as you know agriculture and horticulture - combined with weather patterns has been my life ever since I can remember. So the plight that befalls the minority of the population is very close to my heart…I have stickers on my fridge and car that read “Thank a farmer for your next meal!”
I do hope that your weather conditions change SOON!!!! Having the coolness and fresh days is such a lovely change!!! Thankfully “Larry” did not have a brother or sister come visit you this cyclone season!!!!
Autumn is such a lovely time of year here where I am…the place bursts with colour from the leaves changing and….there is abundant “FRESH” fruit picked straight from the trees (I remember raving about this last year! Lol) The only thing that is annoying me really…is that I cannot get in and do the jobs in a garden that need doing (pruning, mulching). Oh well my turn for change is coming soon!
I am sending you a lovely cool mountain breeze Jean…((((hugs))))
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
No worries Jools… what would we be if we did not “feel passionately” the issues that concern us?
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
And..to feel comfortable enough to voice them! (I wish I could do the smiley faces!!!)
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
This is a wonderful and instructive philosophical discussion, Jean, a “door” I’m glad you opened. When I said that IMO there’s no “bad” change I don’t mean that all change is good. What I meant — and again this is a personal point of view, not one I mean to foist on anyone — is that because change is such an inevitable constant in both the universe and individual lives, we shouldn’t put a value judgment on it one way or another. It just is. Yes, there’s change that we as individuals would prefer didn’t happen, just as there’s change we try to bring about. We mourn loss and celebrate gain, but it’s all subjective. In the larger scheme of things energy continues to take new form and structure as old form and structure decomposes.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Absolutely John. And never is this process more keenly felt than after loss… as the everyday world continues on in spite of it… unabated and unperturbed… picking up where life left off… and reshaping what remains into a new form. It’s pretty magical really. If we can disconnect and just observe the process without getting too hung up on it… I suspect there is much to be learned. Now if we can just figure out a way to do that? *wink* LOL
Thanks for coming back to comment again John… it’s a complex topic isn’t it? But worth a “ponder or two” I think…
March 4th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Oh yes..I’m up to “ponder no 7 or 8″!! I always like to compare “changes” from our history, to changes now - especially on a global platform. The things that have evolved. What comes to mind first for me…is the “changes” that the Great Depression incurred, how we rallied and came together for a common cause. How so many stories of hardship moulded the people we are today. How we came up with innovative ways to combat or relieve changes that were inevitable. How we had to put aside many forms of vanity and desire just to be able to survive..how many “discoveries” and inventions came to be out of finding another way???? The human spirit is our main defence, it is our net that catches us after we fall from the trapeze.
April 25th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Jean and Jools, your thread of conversations were refreshing for my tired eyes! Jean i love your artwork its vibrant,light and the goodness in your life is apparent through your work.. Jools.. your insight and perception of the spiritual and such is just immaculate.. i could not have agreed with you enough on various statements..
funny how i never usually visit unknown sites,tonight i happened to be surfing for pictures for my change management assignment and wouldn’t you know it.. here i am … Anyway folks.. good night !
April 27th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Thanks Faria…nice to have you visit me here. I hope you’ll stop in again sometime