Life is constantly changing, and morphing. Sometimes it seems like life is never what you expect. Just when you think you have control of everything, something else seems to pop up out of nowhere and surprise you. Part of life is being able to adjust to these changes and go with the flow.
Last year, in my science class, we learned about animal adaptation. Animals adapt slowly in the wild, as their habitats change. Sometimes they have to learn to adapt more quickly, because of drastic changes in their environment. It makes me think about human adaptation. We sometimes have to adapt to different situations. When life throws us for a loop, we have to figure out how to deal with it.
I have never been a fan of change. I like things to stay the way they are, because I have a better grip on my life if I know what’s going on. A while ago, my parents were talking about getting a different front door. The old one was a funny shade of blue, and it didn’t keep out the cold very well. I didn’t want a new one, even though I knew it would open easier, keep out the cold, and look nicer. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t want a new door; I just didn’t want things to change. I know that a new door isn’t a big deal, but it felt like a big deal at the time. We ended up getting a new door, and I do like it. It looks a lot nicer than the old one, and it doesn’t make as much noise when it opens and shuts.
When things change, some people’s first reaction is to dislike that change. I tend to do that. I like to know what’s happening. Sometimes, however, situations that seem undesirable at first can turn out to be a good thing. If you look hard enough, you can find a silver lining in everything. For example, I forgot my homework at school last weekend. It was super irresponsible, and I was surprised at myself. Normally I don’t forget things like that. We went to the school on Saturday, and I got it done once we got home. I didn’t think anything good could come out of that situation. At first, it seemed to be a simple unfortunate incident, but it wasn’t. I did the homework as soon as I got home, and because I was feeling productive, I went ahead and started a few other things that I needed to get done. I ended up getting a lot of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. If I hadn’t forgotten my homework, I’m not sure I would have gotten everything done.
Usually, you can see the silver lining quickly, but that’s not always the case. Occasionally, you won’t see the good part of a bad situation for a while. It can be difficult to deal with the bad situation if we can’t see the good thing right away. However, I believe that if you keep hope, and keep watching, you’ll realize something good about the bad problem that you wouldn’t have seen if it hadn’t happened.
Change can be scary, sad, or just plain annoying. Just remember, there’s a silver lining in every situation if you try to look for it. See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”