A couple months ago, my mom attended a retreat at Mackinac Island. Upon her return, she conveyed to me some of her newfound spiritual wisdom. The one idea which caught my attention most was that of a "new normal." Simply put, you find your new normal when you learn to accept change as it comes at you. Things may change (they always do), people may change (we're human), and times may change (it's no longer 1969-- people aren't so happy together anymore). I've so often been reminded that I can't control what happens around me; the only thing I can control is how I respond to all those external stimuli. What comes to mind is the Serenity prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Things are changing in my life. Example: for almost five months now, I've been vegan (and I love it). For those of you who don't know what veganism is, I suppose the easiest way to describe it would be "extreme" vegetarianism. I eat nothing that comes from an animal--no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no honey. What do I eat? (a popular question) Fruit, veggies, beans, soy products (there are some amazing soy foods out there: soy cheese, soy ice cream, soy mayonnaise, soy milk, tofu, etc.), bread, pasta... the list actually goes on and on. Never in my life had I developed much of a palate for meat, so I suppose that could be the root of this lifestyle. I just don't care to eat meat (but I won't judge you if you do). And after reading a book about veganism, I decided to go whole hog (no pun intended). I thought I'd try it for a few days--maybe even a week-- just to see how I liked it. I never thought it would last. And here I am, three months later, quite a few pounds lighter and feeling better than ever. Change can be good.
I graduated from college in December, with a degree in international business. Actually, international studies with an emphasis in business (I usually find there are fewer questions when I just say "international business"). I've applied for what seems like 1,001 positions (to no avail). I'm just waiting for my perfect job to come along. Right now, for the first time ever, I find myself at a point in my life where I have no idea where I'll be in the future-- whether that be next year, next month, or even next week. I find it exciting, though. The fear of the unknown doesn't bother me all that much.
There's other things-- personal things-- that are changing. People say that you don't know what you have until it's gone. True, yes-- but sometimes the opposite can be true: you don't know what you were missing until you have it. Just the other day, I looked closely at the life I'd previously found myself in. My life changed. I realized the other day that I'm living the great life that I should be living; I finally feel like a 22-year-old girl. My head is filled with hopeful planning of evenings with my friends, and not with the schedules of other people. I'm not a big proponent of advertising one's deepest feelings to the general public, so I won't divulge the details. But I am going to say that I'm not afraid of the changes in my life. I'm not worried about tomorrow (even if I don't know what it may bring). I've found my new normal. And I invite you to find and embrace your new normal, whatever it may be.
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