Hidden Hills
January 19, 2023
The best ideas often occur when we’re least expecting them, and patience is essential, because…
CHANGE IS A PROCESS; NOT AN EVENT.
Just as we have to wait for a spring thaw or an arriving train, life is full of moments that remind us to be patient. Nature favors evolution, not revolution. Regardless of how eager we are for a change to take place, we can’t rush the time it takes for something really meaningful to unfold.
Sometimes, of course, we get stuck. If you realize that you’ve been waiting too long for a change to occur, you might benefit from a shift in perspective. You never know what you’ll suddenly notice if you observe your situation from a distance.
When we’re pursuing what’s important to us, it can also be helpful to acknowledge that some changes are quiet and subtle evolutions.
RECOGNIZE HOW YOU FIT INTO THE LARGER PICTURE.
Life, after all, is about balance. The balance between working and resting, learning and sharing, taking risks and standing on the solid ground of familiarity. It’s easy to forget about balance when we’re knee-deep in effort. But it’s still there.
It’s important to remember, as we toil toward a summit—whether that’s the completion of a project, an emotional, physical, or financial evolution, mastering a new skill, or making a deep shift in our lives—that there is something of value waiting for us on the other side. If we carry our compassion, curiosity, and courage with us, they will sustain and guide us along the way. And while we are all on our own journey, we can also be a community of companions, drawing on others for love and support. There is something exquisite in the knowledge that we don’t need to go it alone.
As we head into this new year, some of us may feel the enthusiasm of a fisherman with a trout on the line, a birdwatcher with a rare species in sight, and a skier on a bluebird day. Others might be experiencing the anxiety of a tightrope walker, the exhaustion of a mountain climber, the weight of loss. Many of us will encounter both. Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility.