Growth & Change.

I have been house sitting for my folks so I am only a few short minutes away from Old Towne Orange. So I got up this morning and came to Lucca to grab an Americano and do some ruminating. My coffee is the perfect color, the music is great and the drunk hipsters (who I believe are still drunk from last night) have calmed down.

Being back at my folks house for any length of time is always odd but comfortable at the same time. I have a great relationship with my parents and love them dearly. Being at the house also has me thinking about growth and change.

I hope that everyone around me is always growing and changing in some way. That's how were made. That's how we become the people we're supposed to be. Lately, for myself and for others, the growth and change has been much more intense and at times very difficult. The difficult is okay though because it means the really good stuff is happening, not just the everyday.

However, along this path we all seem to get that feeling of stuck. "I'm stuck. This is too hard. Nothing is going to be as it should be or how I want it."

Those things are lies. No two ways about it. Those things are lies.

Anyone or anything that tries to tell you to stay the same and stay in your (or their) comfort zone, is a disruption and a distraction. It may sound too simple, but that's the truth.

We should want each other to grow and change. We should want each other to become healthy people who know how to take care of themselves. If those are not the people or places you are encountering, it may be time to reevaluate.

I heard a recent divorcee say, "I didn't change, they did." Being in relationship with anyone is not about getting together and staying the same. It is not about reaching a point in your life where you say, "I am complete as a person, now I want to find another complete person and we'll be the same people forever." YOU ARE SETTING YOURSELF UP TO FAIL.

Biologically we are not even the same people over time. Our cells regenerate and eventually we are a completely "new" person. How can our emotional state be any different?

When we are in the midst of change, I know others changing around us can feel unsafe. It's because it is. There are variables at work and none of us know who the other will be on the other end of that growth and change. It's ok. The better we become, the better people we attract to ourselves. Usually it's other people who also are becoming better.

There is always going to be risk. We have to risk ourselves in order to gain great things. But risk and sacrifice are not the same thing. And do not confuse intention with action.

I know even though we realize things, we can't always act on them right away. Be persistent though. It does get easier, but new things always take practice. If true, deep change was easy, we would have done it long ago.

I hope you are all having a great Sunday and finding your peace today too.