Change to Survive

Nothing makes you respect the power of time, than growing a year older. Time, the elusive time, if only we understood the real power of time. Most of us don’t change when things are going smoothly, even the river refuses to change its course, yet when there is a storm, a drastic event, pushing you towards your very basic survival, even the river is  FORCED to look for options  and change its course. Change is of two types - voluntary and involuntary. Change resulting in fulfilling our desires is welcomed, yet when life takes control of your destiny, and you have to give up something close to you , the unsolicited change can be hard to digest for most of us.

I am not a big fan of  football, but the other day watching an NFL game aired on T.V., I was amazed to see these huge 200 pound or more big guys, jumping up after getting tackled with an agility that belied their size and built. We will always be brought down by our problems, but keeping the love for ourselves and for life intact, how fast we respond and adapt decides our fate. Similar to the football players, who develop this ability through practice and more practice, we can learn to face challenges head on by stabilizing our mind through focussing on the present and our blessings.

Other times, severing off  your rotting limb,  is the only way to survive. It can be a relationship, a career, or simply a  lifestyle or attitude, anything that is stagnant will rot. Have you ever seen a flowing stream in the woods? It creates its own path , soft and pliable water, not fighting the rocks, but finding ways around it. In my mind, faced by problems seemingly insurmountable,  I always imagined that I was going  deep down in the hole - from where it would be impossible to claw my way out to light and freedom. That was till I readjusted my attitude to thinking that the darkness was caused by clouds , clouds that would one day would  bring down rain and clean my soul or would be blown away to expose the beautiful sky lit with stars and moon.  To imagine being surrounded by a sight so beautiful, to be cradled in the arms of nature , gives you the courage and patience to wait for the sky to clear and sun to smile again.

As a friend of mine put it  life is a one way journey , always moving forward towards the  final destination. Enjoy the ride offering you a change in scenery .There is no way to rewind, no way to fast forward, just breathe in all the fresh experiences  that will never be repeated again.  In fact every moment of life is  a once in a lifetime  experience and all we need is to just be present,  - choosing to chaff the feelings that bog us down and just wearing the cloak of  love and good memories.

So, here I am, knowing and accepting that although the clouds might seem to have been blown away for now, they will be back  , but next time I will not in a hole but will be  standing high on the mountain waiting patiently for the sun to shine again.

10 Favourite Quotes on Change

1. “The best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing.” -Theodore Roosevelt


2. If you run you stand a chance of losing, but if you don’t run you’ve already lost.” –Barack Obama

3. “20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

4. Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson

5. “Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” -Henry van Dyke

6. All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

7. The man who looks for security, even in the mind, is like a man who would chop off his limbs in order to have artificial ones which will give him no pain or trouble. ~Henry Miller.

8. The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. ~William Blake

9. The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. ~William Blake

10. Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it. If change is of the essence of existence one would have thought it only sensible to make it the premise of our philosophy.

Lessons from nature

Last Sunday, after almost four straight weeks of work, I finally took a day off. It was a perfect spring day, no rain which is a huge relief for someone living on the West Coast. I love being outdoors , but unfortunately time and weather can be impediments to enjoying the beautiful city I live in.

There is something about nature -which calms me down. Maybe like a puzzle piece fitting right into the bigger picture,I feel that I have come home. The rustling of trees, the rushing water, the smoothed out rocks, the tall trees trying to touch the sky all make me realize, how small I am, yet paradoxically how limitless. I didn't do much - just walking down the path along the river, sitting and watching how the water works its  way around the water, not stopping,not fighting , but working around, hugging the rocks, yet flowing and a realization dawned on me - this is the way to live. Work around your problems, sometimes it is in your favour to go with the flow.

If there are some lessons to learn from nature  it would be :

Change: Every season  reminds us, that change is universal and the same law applies to us. Nothing stays the same - no matter how bitter the winter, it does have to end into spring , and no matter how beautiful the fall , it leads to winter.
Cycle : Walking down the woods, you see new trees growing on trees that have decayed. Every death gives birth to something new and wonderful. Every end has a new beginning.
Patience :Everything takes time. Flowers don't bloom instantly, trees don't bear fruits immediately. In fact the longer you have to wait for something, the longer it lasts. Flowers that take shorter time to bloom , wilt earlier.
Interdependence: Birds build nests on trees, bees help pollinate, every being is dependent on someone else to lead a fulfilling life. We would be fools to believe we can live isolated - no one can.
Work : All creatures have to work for their food and shelter. Right from a bird building its nest, to the lion hunting for its next meal. Food is there, but believing we are priveleged to not work for it , is our fallacy.

And finally, nature teaches us to go with the flow. We would be much happier if we could live in the present moment without comparing it to the past or expecting anything from  it for the future.