The Art of Letting Go

Pictures are of Wabash River, IN and Downtown Baltimore, MD

"Well things got bad, and things got worse.
Half like a blessing, half like a curse.
It's so hard to see sometimes,
Got a little clearer 'bout dusk last night."
- The Gaslight Anthem "Red at Night"

I hate change.

Almost everything changes over time. Whether the change is slower or quicker, stasis cannot be maintained.

My life has no stasis...

This entire year has been consumed with change and I accepting that change. Families transforming, disease, possibility of loss, making and losing friends, and knowing that I have no control over most of it. At a certain point, I lost control of myself. There is not a lot I can control in this life, but I need to make the most of what I can.

That is one of the one reasons I quit smoking. Though it was something I greatly enjoyed, I needed it more than I should have. Thinking about that, it ties in with wholly taking care of myself. I try everyday to take care of myself better, because I am the one thing I can control in life.

The road I travel lately takes me to places strange and stranger, and I'm sure it is the path less taken.

Accepting change is no easy task, but after having it shoved down my throat constantly, I get used to it. Living as an out-of-state college student, change happens and it happens fast. Back and forth, one place to another, and there is never enough time to simply adjust .

I guess that's life though. Changes will happen whether or not I'm ready. Either I can accept it or fight it. The changes are not always pretty, but I try to ride each wave with as much grace as possible. (That doesn't always happen.)

Sometimes change still drives me up the wall, but I am learning to let go. Every time I make a plan, it gets overturned, sometimes even by me.

I thought I would be at the same college for four years. That's the plan most make unless transferring from community college. How wrong I was to think life would slow down or stay constant for four years. How wrong I was to think that I would never again live near home.

Lesson learned: I shouldn't think so much.

Whether the changes are hard or easy to make, I need to let them happen.

Lesson learned: I need to let go.

Appreciate the now. Live in the present. I love every person who touches my life because it adds to who I am and what I experience. The experiences may not always be pleasant, but well what is? If the bad didn't hurt deeply, happiness wouldn't shine as brightly. (Those moments are worth fighting for!)

Life took me to Baltimore, it is taking me back to Indiana, and I have no idea where it will end, but I'm excited for the adventure of everyday.

Things change. I change. Life changes. Change can be beautiful.