Change Is Inevitable

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 153

Sep 04, 2025

Hi Friends,

I’ve been thinking about change again.

Unless we are seeking change for ourselves or we are actively involved in making a change, it’s easy to ignore because it’s happening all the time. For some reason, I’m tuned in to change. I have mentioned change 53 times in Take Pen to Paper.

Two things prompted me this time, my hair and a house I drive past on my way to the school to volunteer.

In this newsletter:

Change can be fast or slow.
The end product may surprise you.
No matter the change, we adjust.

The Speed of Change

So many things seem to change in the blink of an eye. But do they? Do you take note of the beginning and the end (if there is one)?

I’ve been driving by the house mentioned above for eight years. At first, the house was abandoned. The window blinds were askew, one window was open, and the yard overgrown. I could only imagine what the inside looked like after being exposed to the weather. Over the course of eight years, it’s been patched up and painted. There is a garden. It is a house someone lives in and cares for.

This made me think about how slow change is. Perhaps the owners were doing all of the work, and that work took a long time.

But change can be fast!

Every six months, we go to my granddaughter’s piano recital. We hear improvement each time. At her recital a few weeks ago, we were amazed! She has improved significantly in the last six months. She played with confidence and expression.

If you control any aspect of change, whatever it may be, you can choose your speed through practice, priorities, and determination.

Maybe our perception of speed is all about noticing the beginning and watching the progress. Or, maybe it depends on whether we are involved.

To What End?

When you begin a change or see the beginning of a change, you never really know how it will turn out.

There are times when you just don’t know the planned ending. It may be a change you have no control over. You may not even care.

Then there are changes you are intimately involved in. They may be personal changes or a project in which you have an active part. Even with the most detailed of plans, the end you imagined may change due to circumstances.

This is where my hair comes in. I have been letting it grow from very short to just below my ears (still short) for two years. It’s been a gradual process. After almost 30 years, I was ready for a change. My hairdresser encouraged me. Much to my surprise, my hair was changing more than in length. My hair is no longer straight. It’s very wavy, almost curly! My conscious decision led to an unexpected element of change. I have control over the length, but not the waves.

Then there was our second house with a big yard. That is, until someone bought the lot behind us. When the survey was complete, they discovered the builder of our house situated it incorrectly on the lot. Our big backyard turned out to be twenty feet smaller.

It’s probably more of a surprise when changes turn out exactly like you imagine them the first time.

Adjusting To Change

No matter how long change takes or how it turns out, you will adjust. We do it all the time. Some changes are easier to adjust to than others.

As the seasons change, we barely notice. We are used to the calendar cycle that brings changes in nature. We experience those changes over and over.

Changes we work for are easier to accept. They are intentional. We have some control, if not all, and we are looking forward to the end results.

As my granddaughter continues to take piano lessons and practice, we expect her to improve. The change in her skills as she improves will not surprise us.

Maybe it’s most difficult to adjust when we have no control over change and we feel there is no benefit to us.

My neighbors and I still mourn the loss of the neighborhood woods, home to all sorts of wildlife. We are adjusting to the sight of the new streets and houses, but miss the woods more. Some day, the woods will just be a memory.

From Feruary 2024 until now. Photos by S.G.S. Abel

Whether we seek it or not, change is complicated.

With each visit to the salon, my hairdresser tells me, “Give it one more month.” Maybe she knows something I don’t. However, I am definitely having a hard time adjusting to this change.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

We learn from change. I wrote about what I learned when they first started clearing the land above in Take Pen to Paper: Edition 81. 🦉
It’s a good thing to notice change. Noticing change often helps you identify gratitude. (see #5)
Did you know that it only takes 3.5% of the population to make a change? You can read about it here.
Do you have a difficult time keeping up with the changes of the four seasons? Check out the 24 small seasons of ancient China and Japan. 🍂❄️🌼😎
I am grateful for some of the results of the new development on my street. I’ve met many of my existing neighbors who want to ask me about it (all of the pictures were taken from my front yard) and I have additional paved streets to walk each day. 🚶‍♀️‍➡️
It’s a good thing to pursue change. You learn a lot about youself. Are patient? Determined? Disciplined?
Human hair typically grows a half inch per month, depending on several factors, including age. Argh… 🤦‍♀️

Thank you for reading. Do you welcome change?

Until next time,

💚

Susan

What has changed in your life recently? Leave a comment and let me know.

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