Ironically, the nature of everything is change but we do not adapt to it very well. We are very much creatures of habit and routine, and often we get shaky when our routine gets disrupted. We have been changing since we were born, things keep on changing, and yet we are always kind of thrown when things change. We are very happy and can adjust quickly when the desired change happens. On the other hand, a change that we do not want seems like a huge surprise when it happens, and it is very hard to adjust.

Our reaction to a change is all based on whether we want it or not, which is not very reliable because change happens regardless of our wishes. Our preconceptions and expectations of how things are supposed to be are what make a change so hard, and without them, we are much more flexible and can adapt to what is happening. We can use the meditation on impermanence and death to adjust to things more readily. After bumping our heads on the wall a great number of times, we might actually learn to say, “Okay, I didn’t have the day planned like this, but things are the way they are, so let’s just deal with them.”

“365 Gems of Wisdom” e-book is out now!