Change — it could be scary, it could be exciting, it could be a little bit of both — but it’s necessary.
Things change every day. But it’s like they say, day-by-day nothing seems to change, yet when you look back everything is different. Change occurs even though we aren't always completely aware of it.
This thought can be scary. It just goes to show how fast time really passes. Looking back on the way things use to be can make us sad or regretful. But try not to be afraid or sad or have regrets. Instead embrace the changes that are taking place in your life.
By this I mean to enjoy the moment you're in. Enjoy your close friends and every lunch date that you have with them. Enjoy skipping geometry class in high school and getting caught by security. Enjoy having summers off and sleeping in your own bed every night because all of a sudden you blink and things are different.
Next thing you know you have different friends and you have a new favorite coffee shop that you go to in the middle of the new city you’re living in. You live with people other than your immediate family and can now stay out until 2 a.m. if you want to. And at this time in your life, you’re probably struggling to afford those weekly Wegmans trips.
These new things in your life are necessary, though. You would never grow if you didn't expand your friend group. And if you didn’t continue to connect with those who are similar to you and even those who are quite different from you. New situations allow you to learn from others and to better yourself. The way you see the world and the things around you will change because you've now experienced things that you never had before. New doesn't mean bad, it just means unfamiliar.
The point is, you yourself change as you get older. And for that reason, change in your life is essential.
Of course, there are moments we all wish we could relive or a time period that we wish we could have frozen for just a second longer. But try to enjoy the now. Know that it’s OK if you don’t talk to the same people you did in high school on a daily basis. And that it’s OK to fall out of love with someone who you once thought was perfect. Change is a part of this thing we call life. It’s going to happen regardless of if we want it to or not.
Why not embrace it? Why not indulge in food that you didn't like as a child but, all of a sudden, love now. Learn about things that interest you at the moment and continue to collect new interests. Spend time with your close friends, whether they are friends you have known your whole life or friends that you have recently met. Watch your new favorite movies, and listen to songs that make you feel alive.
Yes, there are both good and bad things that happen throughout each phase of life. Enjoy the good, and learn from the bad. Hold on to each moment as long as you can, and allow change to happen because it’s inevitable. Don’t be afraid of it, instead embrace it.
