Change

The only constant is change. Perhaps that’s why we don’t notice it. Until the change reaches tipping point that is. Then everything is different.

We don’t notice our faces age every day; The millimeters children grow every day; The changes in the length of the day. We do notice laugh lines before 30; that the baby can reach objects on the table; thatall of a sudden it seems to be dark before we leave work.

Our blind spots extend beyond the simple observations of things we take for granted. We don’t notice changes in our lives, our habits, our opinions, our feelings, our behaviors. We are often oblivious to the way our environment changes us, but it does. Have you ever been changed by something you witnessed? Something you experienced? The loss of a loved one that makes you more aware of your blessings? The end of a relationship that changes your outlook on love? The loss of a job that makes you re-arrange your priority list?

I have had a few experiences changed me instantaneously; a car accident and the birth of my son. The irony here is that the changes those experiences precipitated were a long time coming.

• I had 9 months to prepare for motherhood. I changed every single day of my pregnancy. I became less and less selfish, more and more aware of the needs of my baby. I became more and more focused on the present, because the future was too uncertain to imagine. I relied more and more on loved ones as I became less and less physically (and at times mentally- who leaves their wallet in the fridge?) capable.

• After the accident I deferred Uni and took some time to re-assess my life direction. If I am honest with myself, the decision to scrutinize my life had its roots 18 months earlier in the first few weeks of Uni. I realized shortly after the novelty of drinking between lectures had worn off, that Uni wasn’t the fertile ground I was looking for. It wasn’t until the accident that I could see the subtle ways my life direction had changed.

Change is incremental more often than it is monumental. You change every moment of every day. You change to become more like the people you spend time with. You change to become more like the thoughts you most think and the emotions you most feel.

The only constant is change. Perhaps that’s why we don’t notice it.