Many of us, including myself, have an incredibly tough time adjusting to change. Whether it be a small change like changing the paint color in your room or a big change like moving to a different city, change is difficult to deal with when day-to-day routines very rarely stray from the norm.

There is a quote by C.S. Lewis that says, “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?” This quote has always particularly resonated with me. I feel as if I have always been the type of person who was never presently aware of what was going on in my own life. I feel as if I was someone who was simply “going through the motions.” I never stopped to reflect on how I was feeling about things that were happening to me. I would simply let it happen and let it go. Since coming to this important realization about myself, I have vowed to teach myself how to embrace change, rather than fear it and push it away. I’ve tried to teach myself how to feel my emotions rather than tuck them away. I’ve practiced taking the bad with the good and accepting that some things are just not within in my control, and the rest is up to fate.

Each year I learn more and more about myself, especially since moving away from my hometown for school. Not all changes are bad changes; in fact, some can be remarkably life-altering. A breakup may seem like the worst possible change, but many times breakups lead you to someone better than you ever thought possible. Leaving your best friends for college may seem unbearable, but with firsthand experience, I can vouch for the fact that my friends and I have only grown closer with the distance that is now between us. Change is never easy, but it is always possible. I can whole-heartedly say that I thank each and every change in my life for making me a stronger and wiser person today. Cheers to change.