I was zoning in and out of a communication planning meeting
at work the other day when my supervisor said something that brought me back
and made me really think. We were
discussing making a change to something that had been done a specific way for a
long time. The person who normally
advocated for this particular thing is currently out on maternity leave. She just birthed a beautiful 8 pound baby
girl named Grace and is settling into motherhood off away from work for the
next few weeks. We were jokingly discussing
whether it would be underhanded to make the change while she was out since she
wasn’t there to advocate for it. My supervisor
mentioned that it wouldn’t matter. By
the time she came back, my supervisor expressed, her perspective would have
changed. The things that once seemed
important, like this silly communication process, would no longer hold a place
in her heart. She went on to say that
this was the way it was for her when she came back to work after having a
baby.
After it was said my mind went off down its usual rabbit
hole, missing pieces of the meeting but not really caring. I was thinking about how hard changing our
ways is. Most of the time change is a
slow process. It happens over time as we
develop new habits, using discipline to mold our ways. It almost always takes a long time.
As I thought more about it I realized that there are two
exceptions. Only two things can really
bring immediate change in our lives.
Death and Life. The example I
used from above is perfect. A new life has
the potential to bring about change in someone who was unwilling to change
previously; because life makes one see things differently. She has a life in addition to her own to take
care of, and she has a new life as a mother.
It made me think about how we felt when the doctor told us
that my mom had an estimated time left to live.
There was a looming expiration date over her life which represented
death. And guess what? We changed.
We started living our lives differently.
We daily choose joy because life is too short to live it any way else. The two of us brought truth to a cliché that
you will live better when you know you will die. We changed our lives for the better, but many
who experience death change for the worse.
And even though it is often immediate, it’s usually hard to change back
as quickly.
Both of those examples are very literal with a physical
human life and physical human death.
But, when I contemplated more, I realized that it didn’t have to be
literal. Think of all the times that
other forms of death and life have brought immediate change. I had a vision of a disappointed child being
told they aren’t good enough, causing death to a dream they had, and hardening
of a heart which immediately changed their perspective. Or a college student graduating with a
degree, the prospect of new life bringing an immediate change which fuels them
for the road ahead.
Death and Life are powerful things. Not just in the sense that they are a
beginning and an end. But more
specifically that that beginning means change and that end means change. I would even go as far as to say that any
monumental immediate change you have experienced in your life can be traced
back to new life or death in some shape or form.
Maybe this is old news to you. But, the idea did make me realize how
important it is to speak life over myself and my mom. Because life is one of the only ways to bring
immediate change. I encourage you to do
the same. Speak Life. Choose Joy.
Live a life abundant.
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