Dancing with Inevitable Change



In the desert, change is nurtured even in stone

by wind, by water, through time.
- Terry Tempest Williams




Mother Nature has her way with the landscape.

Whether water trickles in measured drops
or comes in torrents, eventually it carves changes
into stone, in the outlines of seacoasts,
in the course of a river.

Wind can level cities, form delicate arches
in layers of rock, and create beautiful ripples in the sand.

The power of one of the earth's plates ramming itself
under another can create mountains where none existed.

Massive forces building inside a volcano
eventually find release, whether in swarms of earthquakes,
expulsion of gases and steam, pyroclastic flows,
 or outright explosion.

Change happens, whether in infinitesimally small
increments or cataclysmic shifts, whether or not we like it.





Photo copyright 2006 - Trevor Ducken a/k/a TREVERI
Used with permission.



And so it is with us. 

With the passage of time, we change. 

We grow older. We harden. We soften. 

We make room for love, only to find 
unbearable emptiness when love leaves. 

Our losses mount. 
We may resist change, but we can't evade it. 


We can only find a way to dance with change
 as gracefully as we can once we find our footing. 

We can let reversals work on us and erode our sharp edges. 

We can learn to surrender to what is, as hard as that might be. 

We can choose to take incomprehensible sadness 
in our lives and create meaning from it. 
By doing so, we show the world
 that even overwhelming loss
 can open a space for growth. 

From the rawness of sorrow, 
we gather the materials of change 
and become builders of the grandeur of our lives.




p.s. To see more of Treveri's incredible photos on Flickr,
click here. He's an incredibly talented 20-something
who deserves praise and recognition.


Comments

JC said…
I thought it was Helen. The photos he has are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing !!!
ELK said…
this is a strong yet tender post...i can relate and the photo is so beautiful you are right!

i am glad you left a comment so that I can visit you as well
...
elk
Anonymous said…
i dont know if time makes such losses easier to bear ... for me, losing a loved one has left an empty space that doesnt seem to fill no matter how fulfilling the rest of my life is.
Meri said…
Kamana:
I think we learn to live with loss, but never really lose its imprint. It's just there, always in the background, reminding us that everything can end in an instant and that we should live fully and zestfully every single day, both for ourselves and to delight those that are with us in spirit.
Lynne said…
You have captured this so perfectly, Meri. And I love the title you chose. I think we need to get to a place where life is a celebration, no matter what happens. Not easy when the times are tough, but I've certainly found that I have learned and grown more from the rough times than the smooth.

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