.png)
There is no such thing as simple change. Every change begets ripples of other changes, so truthfully, you can’t change one thing without causing a cascading effect that changes other things. It’s almost never ‘one and done’!
August 2014, my neighbor’s garage caught fire seriously damaging my garage. The insurance policy covered the garage replacement with no out-of-pocket expense for me. Simple. However, upon completion of the brand new garage, I realized that the aged and weather worn fence surrounding the property also needed to be replaced. Interestingly, once the new fence was built the combination of the new fence and the new garage made my siding look faded and of course that meant planning to reside my home this spring to match the updated garage color. The changes, set in motion by simply rebuilding the garage that had initially cost me nothing, continued.
Before the fire, I had only used the garage for storage. Unless I was emptying the garbage or accessing my patio or garden, I used the front door. Changing my habit of parking in front of my house to parking in the garage meant re-keying my back door locks and reconfiguring the burglar alarm system. Not to mention that training myself to back into the garage without knocking off the side mirrors has been interesting. The rebuilding of my garage which didn’t cost me a cent has generated several thousand dollars of unintended expense with more to come.
So, why am I sharing this story? This experience brought me to my current realization that Change, changes everything around it!
There is no such thing as a small change. And while the example I shared was about something very concrete, the impact of change deepens when the change involves our emotions and attachments. I currently sit in a space of wanting to welcome change into my life. Perhaps readers can connect with the fact that there is apprehension connected to several changes that I would like to see personally manifested. I want change BUT change creates upheaval and for the last few years my life has become stable and comfortable.
I do understand that everything changes. However at times the mere prospect of change elicits fear.
Personally, I’m haunted by the words of novelist Ellen Glasgow,
“All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.”
Yikes! If everything doesn’t always change for the better, who wants to risk going backward?
Napoleon Hill
Several years ago while enrolled in a class based upon Napoleon Hill’s The Law of Success, I was taught the value of channeling my mental ramblings and corralling the whispers of my heart, through the creation of one coherent sentence, my definite chief aim. This affirmative statement was to express what living my life on purpose would be. I struggled to excavate the core intentions implicit in my all-over-the-place life. Hours of soul searching, prayer and meditation finally helped me write the statement.
The realization that I had set to paper my statement of purpose sent me joyfully spinning around in my dining room! I had never succinctly expressed what I wanted from life in one statement and for me that was huge. I’ve raised five productive children, lived in Africa, become a published author, worked in community affairs and the list goes on. Some of my activities have been facets of my purpose and now having a concise statement of intent as a reference point is to me the difference between shooting arrows into the ether and aiming everything I do straight for the bull’s eye!
And yet, while I’m clear about what I want, I’m consciously aware that I’m not wholeheartedly executing on my deepest intentions. Why is that? Why have I simply not moved boldly toward all of the changes that I believe would help me live more fully? Is it true that,
“Our only security is our ability to change.” – John Lilly.
There is truly an open road beckoning me towards the experiences I most value in life; but only when I fully embrace the necessary change. The question is when will I walk down that road?
To be continued…
– Susan D. Peters
Susan D. Peters, aka, Ahnydah (ah-NIE-dah) Rahm, brings a wealth of experience gained as an expatriate living in West Africa. Her memoir Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot, received the Black Excellence Award for Non-Fiction from the African American Alliance of Chicago and the Mate E. Palmer award for Non-Fiction from the Illinois Press Women’s Association. Broken Dolls, Susan’s second book, represents her foray into the mystery market and is the first of a series featuring Detective Joi Sommers as its heroine. Her work is featured in three anthologies, Baring It All, the Ins and Outs of Publishing, Signed, Sealed, Delivered … I’m Yours, a contemporary romance anthology, and The Anthology of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association. Buy her books online and at www.SusanDPeters.com.
Comentários