Change…, And Why We Must Welcome It.

by Ron R. Lacson

A couple o years ago, I was in Seoul and met an ‘Ajumma’ in an eatery.

Note: An Ajumma is an old married or unmarried lady in Korea who commands respect and does things her own way.

She served us ‘Bibimbap’ (a Korean dish).

She prepared it out of the gladness of her heart.  She was very happy and was laughing a lot even though the wrinkles on her hands and the deep lines at the corners of her eyes were showing; they’re marks of years of pain and hardship. At 68, she was still jolly and excited.

I wondered what made her feel so happy. So, I asked. She then answered (my Korean friend  translated in English) and said that she has learned how to deal with all the changes in her life.

I followed up by asking how she was doing it. She responded:

“In every change in my life, I pick a flower and pin it on my chest. The bigger the change, the more colorful and bigger the flower.  That way, every time I look at myself during the day, I know that I am dealing with a change, I am learning and I am growing with it. It becomes easier for me to adapt.”

And that was when I noticed a sizable Rose on her white ‘hanbok’ (a Korean dress for women).

“So what change does that flower symbolize?”   I asked.

“NEW BOYFRIEND,” she answered.

I almost dropped my Bibimbap bowl.

Changes are inevitable.

In our own small ways, we have already learned to acclimate with them. And for many, it is just very natural.

If the weather was sunny and then suddenly it rained, we would grab an umbrella. When the bus did not come on time and we were late for work, we would walk or take a cab. When the electricity shut down and the lamp was out, we would light a candle.  If only we could extend these same manners of responses to the substantial changes in our lives, then our day to day life journey could be less arduous.

Over the years, my relationship with change has been evolving continuously.  I realize that the only way to deal and adapt to a change is to change too.  I don’t try to ignore it any longer.  I also don’t hit the panic button anymore each time I see a change coming.

The change in my attitude does not make changes go away.  On the contrary, they seem to multiply and divide themselves (yup, it's kinda like Mathematics :) ).  I also notice that I am becoming more aware of the changes in my life, which is its way of saying that I must be prepared for the responsibility that a change will bring along.

Once I was in Singapore, I noticed that there was a change in me. I gained weight; and it was probably because I was eating a lot of street food the last 3 days.

In an INSTANT, I gained a couple of kiloGRAM.

So, I said to myself, “Hmmm, this must be what they call... INSTAGRAM.” 😊 😊

I welcomed the change with humor.

We don’t have to pin a flower on our chest (no one is stopping you by the way) every time we are faced with change, but we must stop trying to ignore the change. If we start shaping our inner strengths when accepting the change, then we can be helpful contributors on this planet who will always know how to pursue the next goals and the next approach to the future.

So this Christmas and Holiday Season, let’s all embrace change; let’s all welcome it.  Change is not our enemy. It is our life companion.  It happens when we are busy with life. When we treat it as a friend, anxiety is diminished.

And as we also seize, cradle and understand it, the opportunity to grow and mature becomes a higher possibility.

End