Our lives are constantly changing and evolving.  Frequently, these changes involve stress and worry.  Following is an idea I have been working on which encourages us to embrace and welcome change.

Imagine for a moment that you are in the mountains.  The vegetation is dense and the smell of the soil, trees and flowers impregnates the air.  There are butterflies with intense colors, blue, red and yellow which fly haphazardly among the flowers of equally intense color.  The sun's rays which penetrate the tree branches above appear to be threads of silk which connect the trees with the earth.  Gentle gusts of wind whisper through leaves which dance and vibrate.

The sound of a river winding through the valley murmurs as it passes over rocks that have formed over thousands of years.  A small waterfall spills the contents of the river into a small pool.  Small waves form from where the water enters the pool and undulate while losing intensity until they disappear completely into outer limits of the pool.  The water is clear and transparent.  There are rocks, branches and leaves on the outer borders which detain the contents of pool until it continue on its voyage.

There is an unorganized order which only nature can create.  The water and other objects come into the pool from unknown sources.  After staying for an indeterminate length of time, they continue on their merry way.  There are insects, animals, plants and trees which utilize the pool as a source of energy, power and sustenance.  The pool exists as is and with its imperfections is, in fact, perfect.

Our lives are like the mountain river pool.  The events of our days, months and years are like the objects that enter the pool.  Some people and some things stay for a very long time.  Others come and go unperceived.  Regardless of how hard we try, it is impossible to keep things unchanged in our lives, in our pools.  Change is inevitable and it is constant.

The pool in the mountain exists in harmony with nature.  When there is a storm, the water in the pool becomes cloudy and disturbed.  After the storm, the form and content of the pool are changed but the essence remains the same.

The same applies to us as human beings as we encounter change.  Our lives and our minds are initially in turmoil as we process the new events.  While we assimilate this new information, our minds are similar to the cloudy and disturbed pool.  When we adopt change as a normal process in life, we have a powerful tool to embrace change.

Our capacity to value the importance of change in our lives determines our happiness, direction and destiny. 

Rob McBride

Inspire Home Page

March