I realized today that I have been absolutely awful at keeping up with this whole blog thing. So to all of my avid fans and followers (I can dream, right?), I extend my humble apology. But my deficiency has been for a good reason (as opposed to laziness or lethargy… or the fact that I may or may not have forgotten about it). Nope, it’s mostly thanks to change. Tell me more, you ask. Certainly.

I have been experiencing a lot of change in my life recently — moving out, becoming independent, more responsibilities at work and life in general, my impending senior year of college, thoughts about where I’m going to end up in the future — and I have grown to realize that I actually like change. Change is so often feared, which I definitely understand. “Making or becoming different” is in the definition of the word and that sounds pretty daunting. I doubt most people like to think that they, or their lives, need improvement.

But then, as a co-worker and I were brainstorming about ways to change/move things around at work, I had an epiphanic moment (that might be a bit dramatic, but it’s just such a cool word). It dawned on me that change means something. It means that something is happening in your life, allowing the chance for growth and the possibility for a better life. Maybe it’s something small and seemingly insignificant, like changing from Glad trash bags to Hefty trash bags. Or maybe it’s huge and life-changing, like moving away from home. But when that trash bag doesn’t rip open anymore (I am in no way promoting or belittling a particular brand of trash bags) or you meet your best friend/soul mate/long-lost twin/[insert here] in your new hometown, that change doesn’t seem as scary or horrible.

So often, it’s hard to look past those decisions looming over you and see the countless possibilities that come after. But they are out there. And while you may differ in opinion, I believe that those chances are offered by God. We don’t have to remain stagnant; we can grow. Instead of staying in a rut (even if it is a smooth, well-paved rut), maybe you can choose to accept that opportunity as means to better yourself.

And that’s what I think is pretty cool. With every change that we experience, we have the opportunity to accept it and to actively upgrade ourselves and our lives.

And now for a teaching moment:

Think about money. The change that you get back from the store doesn’t really seem like much. Maybe you’ll throw that dime away, or lose it, or give it as a tip. Or maybe, you can choose to put it in a jar, along with the other nine dimes that you kept. Lookie there, a whole dollar. Now you can go to Cumbie’s and buy any size of coffee that you want. Or you can just keep on saving those dimes in a jar and once that jar is full, put that money toward your student loans… Every little bit counts, right? So you get my point. If you choose to see that change as significant, it will be. Maybe it just takes some time.

P.S. If you ever find me complaining about impending changes in my life, feel free to call me out and remind me about this blog post.