Nothing lasts forever.

No matter how strong an emotion feels in the present moment, it will not last forever.

No matter how strong a connection feels between two people in the present moment, it will not last forever.

No matter how perfect the present moment seems, it will not last forever.

No matter how absolutely horrible the present moment seems, it will not last forever.

Simultaneously exciting and scary, nothing will ever stay the same. This could either be good or bad depending on the circumstances. In one light, things can actually grow to be even better than they are currently; while in another, things can actually shift to be even worse. The mysterious beauty is that there is no way of predicting which avenue will be taken.

Everything around us is changing in this capacious world. Even everything within each and every one of us is shifting as we are so privileged to experience another day on earth. We are learning and growing as we make new connections either in terms of how we view the world or how we network with others. New experiences occur each day that incite reactions within us and ultimately change how we view the world, ourselves, and others.

Regardless of what incites the change, it is crucial to understand that impermanence is inevitable. Nothing lasts forever. Even if something is similar, such as a passion for a certain activity that extends for the entire duration of our lifetime, it is changing. The way we take on that passion, the way we make time for that passion, how we pursue the passion, what we learn from that passion, and exactly how that passion manifests its way into our souls are all going to be different from day to day and year to year.

Thus, what are we to do when this notion of impermanence strikes us? Rather than feel upset by our inability to predict and control all aspects of life, I challenge us to begin or increase our mindfulness practice. In being mindful, we strive to accept reality for what it is and move through the situation in a nonjudgmental manner. Life is going to bring us an incredible amount of situations and changes that we never expected and very well may have no idea how to conquer until we are doing it. Therefore, the best approach to take is to live as fully present as we can in each moment.

After all, the only constant is impermanence.