My laundry is tumbling away in the washing machine and I’m eating some vegemite toast. I’ve just finished writing a book review for a zine my friend and I sell on Etsy and I’m about to make myself the second cup of tea for the day.
Going by this, it should be a good day.
I’ve been thinking about how things become normal in our lives. It’s been on my mind because my current normal – my daily life – will look different when I begin to study. My sister mentioned it in having her first baby, and while it’s weird to think about now (she’ll be a mum forever!?) it’ll quickly become normal to have a child.
Looking back, you can see bigger shifts in life where something had to become normal. But now you don’t think about it because… it’s normal…
We make so many adjustments all the time, some small, others not so much, but it shows that we can adjust, and will adjust. Change isn’t always pleasant, but it is a necessary part of life and we are completely capable of coping (dang, that alliteration though).
When I sat down to write this post I wasn’t going to talk about change, but maybe that’s the beauty of writing; you sometimes go where you didn’t think you would.
One of my favourite things about the seasons is the organised change. We couldn’t live life in a perpetual summer. Not only in terms of seasonal plants and crops, but I believe that people need change, that God has given us change. I find at the end of each season I get tired of the weather, or humidity, and look forward to the oncoming season.
I love winter (my favourite season), but I also love feeling spring in the atmosphere as winter thaws. I love summer, but the first crunch of autumn leaves is a delight.
I don’t always like change, and I don’t think I’m alone in this. Sometimes change is forced upon us and is out of our hands. But as unpleasant as change is, have you ever heard someone say they love being complacent? Say they love being in the same situation for however long?
I’m not saying consistency sucks. We need stability and security and comfort. We don’t need constant uprooting and disruption to normalcy. But there are points where we can be too comfortable and unwilling to push the limits of our comfort zone.
And by this I don’t mean we should all suddenly quit our jobs and move house. Shaking things up can be as simple as going for a walk on an afternoon when you would normally read a book. It could be trying out a new cafe, adding something to your morning routine, putting time into a skill that’s fallen off the radar.
Small things can be just as impactful.
Going to university isn’t the biggest change in life. But it is a shift that I’ll look back on and see clearly. Not painful or forced upon me, but something I’ll have to navigate. My normal, daily life will look a little different next month when I begin study. But once I begin, I’ll have the comfort of staying in that position for the next three years. Just like the seasons; an organised change followed by consistency.
I look forward to the small, chosen interruption before settling into a new rhythm.
Well, my tea is finished and my washing is on the line and my vegemite toast was perfect. Happy Sunday, campers.
Sarah xx
the softest words 