Change. Some people love it. Some people hate it. It’s confusing, but also exciting. Change also applies to people, and many times this change comes because of what is going on in their lives and what is also happening in their environment and worlds. Over time people gain different experiences and are on different paths on their life’s journey, and this can cause a change of personality, world view, and understanding.

This week I have felt this question of change. I did something that one of my old high school classmates didn’t agree with, saying that I have changed. Specifically, I have changed since high school. “What happened to the fun, carefree, humorous Joanna?” they asked, “You used to be so kind.”

This made me very, very confused. Have I really changed? And if I have changed, why is that a bad thing? Have I become colder? Less funny? Aren’t humans supposed to be dynamic? To change with the waves of the world, keeping steadfast in their morals but changing with their surroundings and feelings?

It’s been two years since high school. In high school, I was sad. I had clinical depression (still do), and I had to be friends with many people out of convenience and was a human doormat. I didn’t stand up for my views or opinions, and did not speak up on what I believed in, since I was living in small-town Iowa. I was (and still am) a pastor’s kid, and this also dictated how I lived, needing to be kind to everyone since I would most likely see them everywhere.

Many things in my world have drastically changed. I’m in university now, I am working for my Presbytery (which is like, government church stuff), I am doing the things that I love and passionately live for. I have had many new experiences, both good and bad, which have shaped me in the two years since secondary education. I am ever growing and ever changing. Why is change viewed as such a negative thing? I have a healthier and more positive outlook on life, I’m generally happy, and I love more than I ever have in my life.

If humanity were to never change, we would still be Neanderthals. If humans were to never change, we would never have the beautiful (but still hugely flawed) society and technologies we have today. Change is good. Yes, it makes many uncomfortable, but many wise people once said it is good to step out of your comfort zone.

I invite you to step out of the boundaries that hold you back. Cut your hair. Dye it red. Get a piercing. Get a face tattoo (okay, maybe not that, but you get what I mean). Changing something also doesn’t have to be about appearance! You can do a good deed once a day, eat a salad at every meal, etc. Don’t be afraid to get weird. Embrace the strange. And speak your mind.