“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~ Margaret Mead
Even though I have travelled almost 60 times around the sun, the seasonal change in daylight hours always amazes me. Out of the 24 hours in a day, only 8 are in light... then, bring on the clouds and rain… and, phew! Many nights in December, I marvel at the memory of being hard at work in my Summer garden at 9 pm. But during this Winter month, by that hour, I am pining for my pillow. Perhaps the real wonder is Life’s variability.
A couple of weeks ago it snowed. Normally, the accumulation increases with the elevation at which it falls. Not this time. Instead, with this snow event, it was the end of town one lived in that was the determining factor. Everyone north of Rockland Rd. was in a deep Winter land, while south of Rockland, there was barely a wisp of the white stuff. (What?!)
Sometimes I find change unsettling. Other times, I love the adventure and newness. Last week, we were hit with 2 BIG snowstorms, and life shut down. I call this type of change “a real disrupter”. People are forced to stop their regular daily patterns and change directions… to get a new perspective, to embrace or resist. This is one type of reorientation I enjoy, and those who know me know why… ☃️!!
Our North American lifestyle has been fairly status quo for, well, all of my life, anyway. Although we have experienced many life advancements in technology and scientific capabilities, our collective expectations seem entrenched. I expect my garbage to be picked up and the roads to be ploughed, for instance. I presume there will be elections and freedom of speech. I trust that I am safe in my neighbourhood. I assume stores will be stocked with food, and that I will have a variety of choices, shipped from around the world, at my fingertips. I bank on walking into a health clinic and knowing I will be cared for, any day, at any hour… and my list goes on. But static life is not “living”.
Ernest Holmes, author of The Science of Mind, offered this wisdom:
“Let us suppose, for illustration, that the Universe is nothing but water, permeated by an Infinite Intelligence. Imagine that every time this Intelligence moves, or thinks, ice is formed in the water, exactly corresponding to the thought. We might have countless pieces of ice of different form, colour, and size, but these pieces of ice would still be water! If we could heat the entire mass, it would melt, and all forms would again become fluid. Nothing would have changed except form. The physical universe is Spirit in form”.
Yes, so: Universal Intelligence expresses love, joy, peace, light, power, beauty and life. These attributes are fixed, but the ways to express them are infinite. We can’t make “The One Life” bigger or smaller. It just IS. But our use of It has endless possibilities. We may have been stuck in ‘status quo’ for so long that we think the life we live is the “right” way (the only way, the best way). But, what if we were to melt it all… this way we have been expressing for oh, so very long… and start with a clean slate? What if we were to choose differently? It really is hard to imagine.
Rob Siltanen (of Siltanen & Partners, an American advertising agency), is known to have said:
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
I invite us all to have a look at our daily living and see where we stick to habit. Instead, let’s welcome change into our lives. We can begin with little things. If you wash and dry your dishes right to left, try switching directions, for instance. If you put your garbage out “the night before”, how about getting up early to put it out “the morning of”? Perhaps you are willing to entertain even bigger changes…. Try a new restaurant, go a different way to work, call up an acquaintance and go out for a tea.
When we get into the new habit of living from a place of flux and change, I believe we create an expansion that allows greater possibility (greater Good), to flow into our lives. Change is the only one constant of the Universe, so let’s learn to dance that dance together.
What steps towards embracing more change in your life can you take this week? ~ Have a look at your daily living. Where do you stick to habit? ~ Begin with little things you might approach differently, and see how that feels. (i.e. If you wash and dry your dishes right to left, try switching directions) ~ Perhaps you are willing to entertain even bigger changes…. Try a new restaurant, go a different way to work, call up an acquaintance and go out for a tea. ~ Journal about your experience.
~ If you’d like to practice doing something new in the company of others, we have classes and events we encourage you to check out: Follow this link for more info
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