Nothing ever stays the same… so here I am again, embracing some more change. (Why fight it?!) Admittedly, this girl struggles with change. My initial response is to fight against it… after all, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Right?! (wink) But I’ve learned over time that when I EMBRACE the change I will thrive.

How is it that I have come to embrace this thing that I don’t just absolutely LOVE? Initially there was a lot of fighting against it, pushing against it, running from it… but, as many of you have learned before me, that doesn’t usually go so well.

Isn’t it funny that the word “change” itself is so …. so in your face? The word itself just makes me cringe sometimes. (How about you?) Ironic, huh? Admittedly, this is a painful lesson for this girl who lives in a bit of a rut. So, how do I “get” to a place of acceptance? I have learned that instead of fearing the uncertainties it’s much easier (and a much better way to go) to embrace the growth and learning opportunities that present themselves in those moments of the actual “embracing”.

Like a tree that needs to be regularly pruned … the paring back, the change… the act itself makes the tree stronger. And it helps the other living branches grow stronger … and grow faster and stronger towards the sun light, the source of its sustinence.

I find meaning and importance in embracing what “was” and stocking away the lessons learned and the joy of having had the chance to learn those in THIS chapter of my life, before any more time passes and having needed this experience. To be better for this knowledge and experience…

So, what’s changing? Oh, let me count the ways… it’s little things and the big things all combined together. Take any one of them and on the whole it’s not that big of a deal. But crowd them into a few weeks and this girl is reeling.

1) I made a career change earlier this year. Still at the same firm, but in a much different role. While I used to be in a client-facing position (where the day prioritized itself based on “fires” that had to be put out, largest or most dangerous first) I am now in a position that is very solitary, by comparison. To change the way I work after 15 years has been a longer transition than I had imagined it would be… but a GREAT transition. I am thriving by using my knowledge in a different way and learning to work in a different manner.

2) The “Life is Good” vehicle is now bare of said “Life is Good” window sticker. Yup… it’s gone. Don’t worry, it’s not that life sucks (HA!) the sticker was just peeling up around the edges. And the dot over the “i” was almost gone. It’s just weird to see it gone… it seems the end of an era… and yet it was just a sticker.

3) The holidays are upon us and I can actually take some time off from work… that fact alone didn’t hit me until a few weeks ago. I haven’t taken time off at either Thanksgiving or Christmas AT ALL in the past 10 years. Now…. to figure out what to do and whether or not I’ll actually take time off. It’s just nice to have the option!

4) My time at the Rustic Sparrow has come to an end. I’ve soooo loved being a part of the creative community at “the Sparrow” and have learned so much in this adventure. But with the extra commitment (that became way more of a time commitment than I originally thought) and the added aspects of keeping furniture stocked, not having a place to paint/store pieces for future use, etc… it’s all just become too much for me to juggle. (Other aspects of my life have been neglected… and it’s time to return to those. First order of business… reconnecting with my husband, friends and a deep cleansing of the house!)

5) The 2012 craft fair season has come to a close… and 2013 is going to look a little different in that regard, just haven’t decided how quite yet.

This past year has been a bit insane. And I’ve learned through that too… so now changing occurs, things get pruned… and I’ll thrive. I’ll grow because of the insanity, I’ll grow because of the pruning, I’ll grow because of the decisions to change.

All of that to say, slowing down in other aspects of life means I can return to some of the things I love and have been missing… sooooo, blogging is back… bike riding is returning… laughter with friends has returned… and more… life is good!