In the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that I get a tad confused about my path while walking in the woods—ever since the snow melted. I remember that I had the same problem for a few days when the snow first fell. I don’t get lost, but the path simply isn’t as clear. The landscape changed significantly with the snow; then without the snow. Little landmarks that I didn’t even realize I pay attention to are altered, and I get slightly disoriented.
I’ve moved many times in recent years. I always get disoriented. Now I’m moving again. It’s a move I’m excited about but the landscape is about to change radically, both literally and figuratively. Already I’m beginning to feel a tad off-balance.
It’s not just with moving, it’s all of life. I get in a routine and something interrupts it. I come to a belief and something blows it open. I get used to the sun and 70 degrees for a few days and then it snows. I get comfortable with my assumptions and judgments and something challenges them. I have expectations and they go unmet. I get attached and things change.
The challenge is learning to maneuver through the changes, because change is inevitable. Impermanence is the idea that everything is in a constant state of flux. If we can come to terms with this state instead of struggling against it, then we will experience more peace and freedom in our lives.
I actually find that my walks in the woods are a little more interesting right now because I am more alert and flexible.
And this is, partly, what life asks of us–presence, awareness, and flexibility.
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