This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Change Is Not Always Good--Except When It's to My Advantage

i want change
i want change (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        Changing diapers is no fun by my estimation nor would I think many others are thrilled with the prospect of doing the chore.  Someone's got to do it.  I think I got pretty good at changing diapers during my parenting years, but I'd prefer not to do anymore diaper changing in my life.  In the case of diapers, change, though not a pleasant task, is a necessity.

         Not all change is a necessity, but often it is inevitable.  Change might not be pleasant for everyone and can even be burdensome.  Some may benefit from change while others pay for it.  Time can change things as can circumstances.  While some change might be barely discernible, other change can be traumatic and life-changing.

         New life situations such as marriage, children, or death of someone who affects us greatly can lead us to become very different people than we formerly were.  We can welcome change as much as we can fear it.  However we think of change, it is something that can happen and will happen.

         This being a presidential election year in the United States we are hearing a lot about the promise of change as well as the threat of change.  There are some who try to ignore the politics that are all around us while others are following closely.  Whether you embrace the goings on in the political news or try to escape the election chatter, one fact is inescapable:  The coming change is going to affect you and possibly do so in a big way.

         Change is continually happening.  We can only hope--and pray--that the coming change will be for the better.

           Do you adapt to change easily?    Do you like change when it alters your way of living?   What are some changes that you hope to see as a result of the next presidential election?

           This post provides a clue to my next song choice in the Battle of the Bands which will be on Monday February 15th.    As I mentioned in a previous post, the song I'll be pitting in Battle has something to do with the season--or in other words, specifically February.   Can you guess the song?


47 comments:

  1. Great post Lee to read, could the song be to do with Valentine's Day?
    Have a grand week-end.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Yvonne, no, I already covered Valentine's Day in my "Lost and Found" post. The next song will be something on a grander scale of socio-political issues.

      Lee

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  2. David Bowie's Changes?
    Since there's so much change in the world I try to keep things steady in my home world. I think everyone needs that kind of safe haven.

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    1. Alex, I can hardly keep up with all the change around me and like the security of being home.

      No not a Bowie song--it could be appropriate considering his recent passing, but several BOTB participants already covered some of his songs after that happened.

      Lee

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  3. I don't like change but I also know it's inevitable. I'm with Alex on David Bowie's Changes. As for the presidential election, I just hope that people vote for someone who is a unifying force rather than a dividing one.

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    1. MSHatch, A lot of divisiveness in the world period. I'm wondering who could bring things together more and might that necessarily have positive results if that person came about.

      Lee

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  4. Like you, I don't like change unless I'm the one in control of it. And as a side note, I've never changed a diaper in my life and I aim to keep it that way. I sure hope Bernie Sanders gets in.

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    1. JoJo, you haven't missed too much with the diaper changing, but having the children and watching them grow into adults can be pretty cool.

      Bernie Sanders would be an interesting experiment in the U.S. The country might go broke instituting everything he suggests, but we've been going broke anyway so maybe the money doesn't matter anymore.

      Lee

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  5. Hi, Lee!

    I'm backing Pat Paulsen 1,000%.

    If that asteroid hits the earth in 2023, big changes are in store for everybody!

    Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours, Lee!

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    1. Shady, we have no more of the great perennial candidates like Pat--or for that matter not even the more serious ones like Larouche or Ron Paul.

      That asteroid would really shake things up. I hope we don't have to go through drastic change like that.

      Lee

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  6. I love change. I hate change. I want change, go after it, run from it, hide from it and pursue it all over again. Yup... That's me.

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    1. Tabitha, I love the right kind of change. I adapt pretty well to all change whether I like it or not.

      Lee

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    2. Love this, it's very accurate and awesomely put :)

      Delete
  7. I suck at change. Like death, I only acknowledge its inevitability. Sometimes that works out sometimes not... but it's the way I am.

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    1. CW, I often dread the prospect of change, but when it happens I usually just deal with it and get over it pretty well.

      Lee

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  8. ARCHIE BUNKER FOR PRESIDENT!

    ~ D-FensDogG

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  9. Change is the natural flow of events. I don't care how constant you try to keep things, it is going to happen.

    I hate change. Huge, seismic shifts have happened in my life by surprise. It is true that most clouds have silver linings. Some you just have to accept and move on.

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    1. Ann, I'm all for the good change, but even bad change can have its silver linings. Nothing stays the same, but the greatest impact comes if the shift is highly noticeable and affects our daily lives.

      Lee

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  10. For me, it depends on the change. Some things change and I roll with it. Others I complain a bit then get over it and adjust.

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    1. Patricia, no matter how much we like a change or don't like it, there's often little we can do to prevent the change from happening--especially on a societal level.

      Lee

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  11. People who promise big change never really live up to it and, mostly, everything stays the same.

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    1. Andrew, that's what I've seen in my lifetime for the most part. Some change promised by politicians has happened, but it hasn't made that much difference and often just leads to new concerns.

      Lee

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  12. When not generally agreed upon, change is ominous in both word and result. These days, we need change to fix the changes. Oh, I could rant on about this subject ;-) but I'll share a quote instead.
    "Impermanence is the very essence of joy - the drop of bitterness that enables one to perceive the sweet."
    - Myrtle Reed

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    1. Diedre, if we didn't have change things might get kind of dull. That might be enough reason to embrace change.

      Lee

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  13. Karen, simply said, simply true.

    Lee

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  14. I consider myself pretty adaptable yet there are certain things that happen that take me by surprise, not in a good way. The diaper analogy made me smile, remembering how much my husband hated and dreaded that job. He said he'd clean up all the animal messes as long as he didn't have to change a poopy diaper. I agreed and years after our kids were well out of diapers, he was still having to clean up dog messes. I figured I got a pretty good deal on that arrangement.

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    1. Karen JG, to make the moves you've made would require a lot of adaptability.

      Lee

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  15. Whether I adapt to change easily depends on the change. It's easier now that I'm divorced. I choose the change. I wonder if that work of art is a Banksy. I clicked on it, but didn't see the name of the artist. I adore Banksy. I saw a Banksy original in San Francisco. I wanted to stare at it almost as long as I wanted to stare at the Frida Kahlo in the museum of modern art.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Janie, being unattached does give us greater freedom, but some change is thrust upon us. I don't know who the artist is. I enjoyed the film Exit Through the Gift Shop which was about Banksy and street art in general.

      Lee

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  16. I'm a Republican that was leaning towards Sanders, but he's a hypocrite just like all the others (attacking Wall Street, yet taking donations from same).

    As for change, I'm never to thrill about it. The one major change in my life was getting laid off from work. Yet, that black cloud ultimately had a silver lining, because today, I am commenting on your blog because of it.

    And yes, I've changed diapers before (two kids). Exceptionally unpleasant.

    Father Nature's Corner

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    1. GB, losing a job can be a real hassle--it's what essentially forced me into retirement sooner than I had planned. Sanders? It would be an interesting experiment maybe, but it could also be a disaster for our nation.

      Hope your job situation gets straightened out to your satisfaction.

      Lee

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  17. I do adapt to change pretty easily, although when it's triggered by a bad or sad event, I let myself wallow in misery for a while before squaring my shoulders and moving on. I'm a political junkie and have faithfully watched all the debates. Our next president is going to have a tough job sorting out the economy and global relationships as well as protecting the country. I hope to see someone with a lot of common sense going through the budget with a red pen.

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    1. Patricia, I too have been following the debates with great fascination. The parties may both self-destruct before this is all over. I agree about slashing off budget items like crazy. Otherwise our country will be going down the tubes.

      Lee

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  18. I used to adore change. I get bored really easily and so have needed change just to keep my sanity. But in my older days I seem to adore stability. I don't want change as much as I used to want it. I find I don't get bored as easily; I guess I'm just content...

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. Michele, having spent so many years on the road and moving from one place to another I embraced change as well. I've settled in now, but there are a few life changes I'd like to see in the coming years. I don't want to spend my last years where I am now. But I'm also pretty content right now.

      Lee

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  19. Of course change happens, but like someone very wise once said, "There is nothing new under the sun." What happens now has happened before and will happen again.

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    1. Walk, nothing absolutely new, but variations on old themes.

      Lee

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  20. I always thought I was one who could change easily but I have come to the awareness that I am one who does not like change even though it is part of life that we need to embrace. My hubby can change and be aok but I take a long time to come around and adapt to anything new. Even the simple things like where one places the milk in the fridge can screw me up. My hubby will place it anywhere but I get annoyed because I feel it should always be in the same spot. Oh well.... I just pray Trump does not get in

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    1. Birgit, I'm another who likes things in their proper place. Eventually I might state my case on who I think should get elected, but not right now.

      Lee

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  21. I think I adjust to change better as I get older. I laugh at my children who are now adults and don't want anything about home to change when they stop by. I can't imagine any political scenario where the needed changes would happen.

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    1. Susan GK, it really depends on what the change is, but if I'm comfortable I might not mind the boat rocking a bit, but I don't want to see it capsized. I'm not sure what the political solution might be, but I strongly believe we have been on the wrong track. Judging by the support for outsider candidates I can see that I'm not alone in thinking this.

      Lee

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  22. Change is hard for me to adapt to, since I love routines and familiarity so much. I don't know if that's an Aspie thing or just a me thing, not that it really matters. My father once said I'd be great in the military, since I love a routine, and they're all about routines. I won't get to find out, since the metal hardware in my right leg is considered a permanent disability by all branches of the military.

    I've been trying and failing for a long time to get out of the unhealthy sleep cycle routine I fell into some time ago. It's so hard to consistently go to sleep at a halfway normal hour (midnight or 1 AM) and wake up at a similarly normal hour when you've been staying up till 3 AM or later for so long.

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    1. Carrie-Anne, I don't think that I would have done well in the military. I kind of like routine, but I don't like being ordered around. If it weren't for me keeping in sync with my wife's work schedule I might be apt to get off into a weird sleep schedule.

      Lee

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  23. I like change. A too sedentary life would seriously make me loose my mind. I mean, I don't mind having a long period of sameness, but then I just have to do something to change things up. As a kid, I fed this desire by drastically changing my hair. Now days, it's me moving across the country and completely shifting gears with my career, but yeah.

    Definitely hoping for Bernie Sanders. Really, we all need to go in a boot everyone we can out because clearly they're not helping the problem. Maybe we DO need to go completely broke and start again. Ugh.

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    1. Madilyn, I too like change if it's the change I was looking for or a change that surprises me in that I like it. But I tend to adapt whether it be just a certain amount of sameness staying at home or traveling the open road of life experiencing new stuff all the time.

      I kind of doubt that Bernie will get the presidency, but if he does it will say a lot about the mindset of this nations citizens. There does seem to be a lot of discontent with the status quo.

      Lee

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Lee