2024 - Week 28 - Embracing Change, Again?

Why Struggle? Podcast w Barbara J. Faison

This is another episode about how CHANGE…the only constant in life. lol

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? Yep, that's what happened to me over the long weekend last week.

My hubby, TD and I were planning to visit his family in Tennessee over the 4th of July weekend. I packed everything and we were on the way. We stopped at Bucc-ee’s, yep, again. Lol. TD 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 Buccee’s. We went there because, well Buccee’s didn't have hot chocolate, TD likes to mix hot chocolate with coffee. Interesting.

We sat 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 had been texting with two of my oldest friends, Suzanne and Gina, I mentioned them in episode 2024 - Week 3 - 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 Acworth, not too far away. Hmmm. I texted. Where in Kennesaw? She told me she was getting a pedicure and 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 Fourth 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 I 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 - 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 am learning to laugh more and be less serious when change happens… because it will.

What about you? How do you manage lives on predictable changes?

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