You want me to put what where? Gratitude for the Process of Change
September 26, 2012 in Beautiful Things, Gratitude by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth
Copyright © 2006 Bart Maguire via Flickr, cc Some rights reserved
Want to change your mind? Be grateful for something. Anything.
Today I’m grateful for the process. What process? Is it too lame to say any process? But specifically I’m grateful for the process of change—the time it takes to shift from one way of being, thinking, living to another.
Yes, I’m talking about Butterfly Soup.
I attended a conference over the weekend for those like me—a variety of people trying to work through the concerns life has given them as they forge their own path rather than walking the one others have made for them. It was enlightening and difficult. At the end of the evening I found myself talking with a man on the other side of all this crazy.
“What does it feel like?” I asked.
“Peaceful and free,” he said.
I expressed a desire to fast forward the painful parts right now. Can’t I just jump to the end? Wahoo! I’m changed. It’s over!
“No,” he said.
Don’t rush the process. Don’t force it. Because the process is what turns us into who we are. The pain, the agony, as well as the joy and the breakthroughs—all of it shapes us into more complete human beings if we allow it. Change can’t happen without the process.
Whether writing, parenting, living—whatever we do the process will teach us. We’ll make mistakes. We’ll fail. We’ll fall. It’ll hurt. But we’ll also succeed and overcome and rise to meet the next challenge. We’ll change and grow and, hopefully, be stronger people tomorrow than we were today and yesterday.
So yes, I am thankful for the process in every aspect of my life. I’m sure I’ll need a reminder in about five minutes, but, for now Universe, thank you.
Change can suck. What helps you move forward through the process?
photo credit (featured image): Copyright © 2010 Shannon Kringen via Flickr, cc Some rights reserved
Change sure sucks! For me, holding on tight to the memories from the past helps to atleast forget that I’m in a changed situation for a while. Sometimes a photograph or a song or some such thing helps me feel the warmth of that place, that time when I was really happy and comfortable. It’s more like alcohol without the chemical effect
So I try and get on with the changed circumstances in the hope that the warmth will soon return.
One really important thing about change that I’ve learnt through my personal experience is, it may be a totally dramatic one but you never can quite realise it has taken place until after it actually has happened. And that is when I resort to the warming myself up with memories.
I like this! Great idea, LitShack. Fond memories can be balm to a worried soul. Makes me want to pull out the old digital thumb drive (because I haven’t printed anything to book form yet, hehe).
I think you share an important truth as well. Sometimes it is difficult to see the change until we’re on the other side of the process.
Thanks for your thoughts! I’m always so happy when you stop by!
I have a love/hate with the middle of a journey. It’s where all the Things happen – the Changes are made, the Feelings are redirected, the Living is built – but included in the Things are hurt, frustration, helplessness, agony, blah blah. Growing always seems to hurt, but the outcome is always 100% better. I look back at the crap I went through post divorce, for example, and I don’t remember the anguish anymore, I just remember that I hurt. And now I’m a bazillion times better and, frankly, don’t even remember the extent of the pain anymore. Just “oh yeah – that sucked.” Psht.
“Oh yeah — that sucked.” Love it! Can’t wait to be in that spot, hehe. I also love your point that it’s in the journey that the “living is built.” Such a beautiful way to say it! I hope you don’t mind if I steal it.
There is light and dark in every change. Learn to feel your way through the dark and enjoy the light while it’s around. You’ll make it. Someday I know you’ll be on the “peaceful and free” side of things.
Thanks, E. *hugs*