NEW EARRINGS, NEW ME
Sometimes you’re not ready for change, but change is ready for you. This was me a few nights ago. I had a pair of stud earrings I wore daily for probably the last 9 or 10 years. They were a Christmas present from someone special, and since receiving them I put them on and basically never took them off. I would on occasion lose one, but it would somehow always magically reappear on the bathroom floor, under my pillow, or on the carpet. I really liked these earrings, because:
- They just go with every outfit (or so I tell myself) and
- They have sentimental value.
I’ve thought about getting new ones, to switch it up, but I just never got around to it, so I put it off. So the other evening when I was walking through the garage in my building, I touched my earlobe, and I realized my earlobe was naked. I wasn’t wearing my earring anymore!!! I quickly checked the other side. Had I taken them out and forgot? The other one was still there… I freaked out a little bit. I’m missing one!!! I went back to my car, and did a search, mentally running through the possibilities of where I could have lost it.
When did I see it last? Was it at the gym? Did it maybe get caught in my shirt when I was changing? I’m searching, knowing it was highly unlikely it was somewhere in the car. I was losing hope and started to face the most likely case, that I had lost the earring for good this time. I don’t think it’s gonna show up magically on my bathroom floor this time. What was I going to do? Now I only have one…And I don’t know if I can pull off the George-Michael-one-earring-look.
I was sad because I had them for so long, and they meant something to me. They were comfortable and a part of me. They were memories. New ones would be nice, sure, but why fix what ain’t broke? As I accepted the new reality, I realized change was upon me. Did I want change right this minute? No, but here it was and I had two choices.
I could wallow and be sad over losing my favourite earrings, and refuse to get new ones because they won’t be the same. Or I could, as I did, look at this as an opportunity to buy even nicer ones and get excited about a new look, because I’ve only become more fabulous over the last 10 years and I sure was due for an accessory upgrade.
Plus, this time I get to pick exactly what I want since the last ones were a gift picked out by someone else. After a moment of silence for the fallen earring, I removed the other one as well. Looks like we are going shopping. New earrings, new me!
Our lives and the world around is so dynamic, whether you look for it, or it finds you, change is always showing up and spicing up our lives.
There is no avoiding it. It can be uncomfortable. The way we deal with it, however, will determine our outcome. Our adaptability to change is what will lead to growth and success, whether it’s small like getting new earrings or big like moving to a new country. I will dive deeper into adaptability and change in next week’s blog, for now, I’ll leave you with this question:
How do you feel about change? How do you handle it?
