Open and Accepting

I had a post all written out a few days ago but when I hit "publish post" for some strange reason I got an error message and it disappeared. Ugh, the computer ate my homework! I was frustrated and decided to leave it for a bit, rewrite it when I was in a better frame of mind, though never got back to it. Maybe that one was never meant to be published!

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to where my life is supposed to go from here. I am feeling very contented and happy with the way things are now, but know that nothing is static and that that I need to be open to change.Not to force it, but just to be able to accept and go with it when it does present itself.

A friend recently told me that she had seen an interview with a man who was an impressive 112 years old. The one thing he offered up as advice from his life experience was to be open to change. I figure if that was the single most important thing someone that age wanted to impart on others, then I'd best take note of his wisdom.

So often we spend our energy fighting against the way things are, our reality. Wouldn't it be better if we could just accept those things we can't change? (I'm reminded of the Serenity Prayer, it's not just for AA anymore!) We don't have to like everything that happens to us or our circumstances, but if there isn't anything we can do about them, why not just accept it? It's taken me nearly 44 years to figure that one out! Better late than never, I suppose.

The other side of that coin is that I need to be able to be open to change when it comes my way. For most of my life I have been tentative, never taking risks, going out on a limb or trying anything risky. I'm a creature of habit and much happier in my comfortable routine. Now, in the throes of my midlife crisis, I'm seeing all these different paths that I could take. Will I stay on the safe, familiar route? Or perhaps take a direction I have never tried before?

I'm actually excited by the possibilities, which I take as a good sign. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy things as they are, try to be accepting of what I can't change and open to new opportunities.