“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
– Heraclitus
Everything is change.
You know this. But there is a place beyond the logical knowing, a boundary, a floor beneath it all beyond which you won’t go. We all have this place. We like to imagine that everything beneath that floor is solid, unchanging, permanent.
You can think about your job, your life, your relationship, your child’s life, your friend’s life, the roof over the walls of the place you call home, – all of it seems so steady.
You know that someday, those things will end. Fall apart. Die.
But we are still shocked when things change. Logical knowing doesn’t prepare you for someone’s death, or for a tragedy that destroys your home. Logical knowing doesn’t tell you what to do with a an unexpected swell of attraction for someone, or when a sudden change in weather threatens all of your plans.
Instead, you need to be willing to open that creaky door and walk down those dark, musty stairs into the areas beyond knowing.
Begin with awareness – one step at a time.
Even letting the ideas of impermanence seep into tiny cracks during your mundane awareness can make a huge difference. Just notice, without judgment, how quickly the light changes as the sun sets.
Notice how, day after day, the plants in your garden and on your walk grow, reach, wilt, die, and are reborn.
Reflect upon feelings you once had for someone as a relationship began, and notice how those feelings have changed now. No judgements, just become aware. All things – changing.
For now, that is all you need. Just open the door and look into the darkness of impermanence.
Over time, as your eyes adjust, you will see that light exists even here. That your fears of things changing – life ending, losing or beginning a job, even fears of changing your mind – are lessened as you begin to see beyond the pretenses of certainty.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
-Alan Wilson Watts
As you begin to dance, you can take a creative part in this change. You are not just a recipient in this chaotic tango of change, but an agent in creating What Is.
*************
Many deeply insightful words have been offered by wise people over the years on the ideas of change and impermanence. I came across so many wonderful quotes while researching this post that I simply must pass a few along.
Try to allow yourself a bit of time as you read these, pausing for a few breaths in between each one. Try to let the words echo in the floors beneath your knowing, into a feeling that you will carry with you after walking away from this post.
Somehow, in the process of trying to deny that things are always changing, we lose our sense of the sacredness of life. We tend to forget that we are part of hte natural scheme of things. – Pema Chodron
People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. – Thich Nhat Hanh
I have noticed that some people are uncomfortable when they are told that change is a fundamental part of life, or that nothing lasts forever. Yet impermanence is just a basic fact of our existence – it is neither good nor bad in itself. When we face impermanence wisely, we have an opportunity to cultivate a more constructive way of relating to that reality. If we do so, we can actually learn to feel at ease in the face of unexpected change, and work comfortably with whatever new situations might occur. -17th Karmapa
It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not. Thich Nhat Hanh
Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. -Rumi
We would rather be ruined than changed,
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die. -W.H. Auden
All is connected…no one thing can change by itself. – Paul Hawken
May you find insights in your contemplations that allow you to flow better with the change that is.
….Namaste.
About Lisa Renee Wilson
I am honored to be your host for this journey! I am an Awareness Artist who shares her world work through Being Breath (www.BeingBreath.com). As a parent, artist, contemplative, meditator, yoga practitioner, introvert, runner, blogger, photographer, and iced-chai addict, I practice the art of mindful awareness throughout all of my daily activities. From playing with perspectives to playing in paint, no moments are off limits for exploration.
You can learn more about me over at BeingBreath.com, connect over on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, or just stay tuned to hear insightfully honest stories right here at Bliss Habits!
“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.! – Thich Nhat Hanh
This is so true for me – I hang on to unhelpful behaviours, because I’m afraid of what letting them go will bring.
This is a bad time for me just now – my Dad’s been diagnosed with lung cancer – and so everything seems uncertain – and that’s where the desire for permanence comes from. The lack of control that I perceive to be there is taken away – and that’s scary. I want to know – how long does he have to live? How ill will he get? How will I be able to help? Certaintly and permanence would soothe my soul at this time.
How I would love to embrace change – but not right now I think! xxx
Karen, I cannot thank you enough for being honest. I am sending you so much love in this time of uncertainty – a peace that can only be found by riding with the waves. May you feel the soothing sounds of the ocean within you and let them ease you through this. I am wishing the same for you dad, through tears. So much love to you. So much.