Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

-Barack Obama

CHANGE.

I hate change. How many times have I said that in this blog alone?

I love the comfort of the familiar, my tchotchkes around me, happy pictures on the wall.

This in-between time? NOT SO MUCH.

Change is required. One friend reminded me that change is how we grow. Does it have to be that hard?? Apparently.

For me to move to this next and yes, exciting, part of my life, change is required. Sitting in a car for hours is required. Trying to keep my important stuff together is required. Address changes are required, adjustments are required–new doctors, new neighborhood walks with the dog, new seasonal allergies.

Whether the change we need is global or personal, the only one we can truly change is ourselves. We can open our eyes to the differences around us and rather than fearing them we can embrace them. Who someone else is does not threaten who I am. I’m still the creative, silly, fearful trauma-mama some folks are insane enough to love.

But what if I want to grow in an area–say, become less fearful? It’s up to me to make those choices. I mean, choosing to pick up and move across the entire country of the United States might not be the easiest way to face my fears of change. But when the reward of being with someone who loves and supports me and is a fellow dork is greater than my fear of change, let’s buy those road trip snacks!

I’ve learned a lot in the last decade, the last year. I’ve learned that when I love someone already, the changes they go through to more fully live their identity don’t affect my love for them. That in fact embracing who they are expands me, teaches me, grows me and my understanding of my Creator and this crazy life we’re all sharing.

One thing I’ve learned this trip–I still have a separation between my emotions and my face. Every picture I’ve seen from this road trip I’ve been grinning, happy. Inside I am a flurry of worries: am I making the right decision? DO I HAVE ANY IDEA AT ALL WHAT I’M DOING??

I’m trusting my face on this one.

What would you like to see different about your life? About your home, country, planet?

Don’t wait for somebody else. Work to be the change you want to see.

BE KIND TO YOU!