Change

Posted on November 16, 2020 by mitchteemley

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sails.” ~William Arthur Ward

Stormy Sea at Night, 1849, by Ivan Aivazovsky (Pavlovsk Palace, Saint Petersburg)Stormy Sea at Night, 1849, by Ivan Aivazovsky (Pavlovsk Palace, Saint Petersburg)

Thought for the Week

Some years the world barely seems to change. Other years it changes so much we hardly recognize it as the world we once knew. Because it isn’t. And it never was. Like the sea, it was always changing. It was always becoming what it is. And so were we, even during those years we seemed not be changing. Sometimes change is invisible, bubbling beneath the surface where we can’t see it. Nevertheless, it’s always there, always happening. And we can’t stop it any more than we can stop time.

But change isn’t good or bad. It’s just a resource. Like clay. And like clay, it can be shaped into something ugly or beautiful. So our job isn’t to stop change, it’s to shape it into something useful, something better.

Something beautiful.

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
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28 Responses to Change

  1. Jordan Hoggard says:
    November 16, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Beautiful post for a topic of beauty.

    As fuel in the tank for transformation having just as fluid a fluency and presence in life as breath, I look to Alan Watts saying, “We have no responsibility whatsoever to be the person we were 5 minutes ago.” Of course not to null commitments/contracts/responsibilities we have and have made. It’s simply our mode of being, how we connect with Self and community is ever-evolving.

    Reply
  2. Betul Erbasi says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    Good analogy! It is very true!

    Reply
  3. ewhyard says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    This is beautiful and speaks to me strongly right now.

    Reply
  4. seekingdivineperspective says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    I love that quote.
    Sometimes I feel like I have no control over the wind OR the sails. All I can do is hang onto the Pilot like crazy. 😉

    Reply
  5. davidsdailydose says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    Right on, Mitch. I recently realized anew just how much energy I’m wasting wishing things weren’t the way they are. It is what it IS! Adapt.

    Reply
  6. Andrew Reynolds says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    I’ve always loved that saying and do my best to keep my sails adjusted.

    Reply
  7. atimetoshare.me says:
    November 16, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    I love this post. It really is up to us to make things come into shape.

    Reply
  8. klongdragon says:
    November 16, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    That quote is what manifesting life is about. Thank you!

    Reply
  9. a curious firefly says:
    November 16, 2020 at 1:13 pm

    “It is always becoming what it is.” Love that.

    Reply
  10. carolannec says:
    November 16, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    Hmmm… Thought provoking post.
    Reminds me of that Chinese curse: “may you live in interesting times!”
    2020 certainly qualifies as interesting and, I guess, it is easy to weep down the “If only…” path.
    If the lesson of the holocaust survivors who forgave their tormentors stands for anything, it’s that we are all capable of focusing on the blessings we have rather than imagining what is missing.
    My life has lead me to believe it is the simple things, those things we take for granted, that truly matter.
    My pet phrase is: If you want to see rainbows, get your wellies on and learn to dance in the rain!

    Reply
  11. Clever Girl says:
    November 16, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    I don’t know what it is about this particular Monday, but this is the third posting I’ve read that was bittersweet, sad or deeply meaningful. I really like the quote, too.

    Reply
  12. Canuck Carl says:
    November 16, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    Great words of encouragement these days Mitch. Yeah we definitely cannot stop change as you mentioned “like we cannot stop time”. Thank you for sharing. 🙏

    Reply
  13. Erika says:
    November 16, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    You put this beautifullly, Mitch. We don’t have control over all that happens but we have always control over what we make of it!

    Reply
  14. Rocky says:
    November 16, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    My email tag line once was “Adaptable People Last Longer.”

    Reply
  15. Liz Gauffreau says:
    November 16, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    Very wise words. Thank you.

    Reply
  16. revruss1220 says:
    November 16, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    AMEN. I really admire your gift for stating truths succinctly and directly. That way they have more impact. Thanks for today’s gift.

    Reply
  17. ronit says:
    November 17, 2020 at 3:05 am

    Hello sir
    Sir I m a poet .Sir recently you liked my post .Sir it would be a pleasure if you would check my one more poem out .I have dropped the link below
    https://skyofstarspoems.wordpress.com/2020/10/07/what-a-beautiful-thing-mind-is/

    Reply
  18. ronit says:
    November 17, 2020 at 3:08 am

    Hello sir
    I m a poet
    Sir recently you liked my post.
    Sir it would be a pleasure if you would check my second poem out
    Dropping the link below
    https://skyofstarspoems.wordpress.com/2020/10/07/what-a-beautiful-thing-mind-is/

    Reply
  19. musingsofmanettekay says:
    November 17, 2020 at 11:03 am

    Short, concise and powerful thought. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Ann Coleman says:
    November 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    What a great point, Mitch! May we all learn to adjust our sails with dignity and hope!

    Reply
  21. Unsettled Essence says:
    January 10, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    I love the Ward quote. It puts it all into perspective. Thanks for the post.

    Reply
  22. Sanisa Patrikar says:
    January 16, 2021 at 3:12 am

    That’s amazingly wise. I can totally relate, a few days ago even I was bothered by what change exactly is. So I wrote a poem about it on my blog, Beyond the speaking mind. Please do read and tell me what you think about it🙂

    Reply

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