On the Importance of Change

This summer, my mother has started moving a lot of furniture around. Of course, this is nothing particularly new; in fact, I would say it happens almost every summer that dissatisfaction occurs with the arrangement of our furniture and chairs begin to move, almost magically, from one room to another. End tables follow, and discussion of new furniture is always had, though rarely acted upon.
However, this summer is different. This summer, we are contemplating painting.
Now, before I go any further, I must tell you that my parents have always had one color they painted any room in any house we lived in; white. Not cream, tan, beige, no. White. It frustrated me to no end that they denied me the joy of painting my room garish colors that I would of course regret a few years later.
But this summer, there is talk of peach. Of blue. Of green. Of colors that catch the eye.
This summer, there is also, for my part, the recognition that my life is starting to change. I will be a junior next year. I am (hopefully) going to study abroad. I am thinking about grad school and jobs and what I want to do with my life. Frankly, its very scary.
And yet, change is necessary. Change is how we grow and, though we may first fear it, I think that often change should be welcomed, in the same way we welcome new seasons. A lack of such shifts leads to stagnation rather than growth, and even when growing is painful, it is usually necessary.
So, as my mother thinks about how to best match the walls to that painting that she really likes, I will occupy my time preparing for this coming fall, and thinking about the importance of change.

As Always, Yours,
Julia

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky