I've always heard that the only thing you can count on in life is change. Rarely does anything stay the same whether it is the town you live in, technology, your favorite TV show, clothing styles, or even the people in your life.
I have always thought of change as a good thing. Something that can make me become better and gives me more opportunities. My first big change in life came the summer before my 8th grade year when i moved from a small town in Idaho to St. George, Utah. The picture I formulated in my mind included palm trees, lots of sun, nice people, and lots of friends. Unfortunately some of these things were not evident immediately. Sure there were lots of palm trees, sun, swimming pools, and beautiful stucco homes, but I could not seem to find a friend. I felt like no one liked me, that they weren't friendly, and that my family had made the worst decision ever because I had left a whole bunch of friends back in Idaho.
I came home one day and cried to my mom about how awful it was in St. George and how I had no friends and no one liked me. We spent a minute feeling sorry for ourselves as we tried to adjust to our new life. Then one day my dad had a talk with me that changed my view on the situation as well as how I've interacted with others since that time. He told me that I could not just sit by the sidelines and expect people to flock to me wanting to be my friend. Instead, I needed to get outside my comfort zone and talk to them and introduce myself. I was not very comfortable doing that but after a few days i got up the courage to ask a nice girl in my class to have lunch with me. She told me that she already had a group of people that she ate lunch with. This instantly crushed me until she continued on telling me that I was more than welcome to join them. It was then that I suddenly had a whole table of friends. I decided to be bold and I introduced myself to all these girls, got to know them, and ended up sitting with them at lunch for the rest of the year. These girls became some of my best friends throughout my high school career and still are today.
Once I took my dad's advice to be more outgoing and started looking for ways to make this new place better, I started to adapt better to change. I have since had several changes, both big and small, and have been able to adapt more easily to each one. I have come to love and appreciate the differences that change brings and I work towards making it great and an experience I can learn from.
Jesse and I are currently in the process of making a big change in our lives. We are moving to Texas next week which is far away from both of our families, our friends, and everything we know and are comfortable with. While it is a little nerve-wracking to be moving so far away from home I feel that this change will be good for us. It will provide us opportunities that we otherwise would not have and allows us to go outside our comfort zones to get to know new people, new areas, find new jobs, and make new friends. While sometimes it feels like almost too much change at once while we're moving states, about to graduate from college, and getting new jobs, I feel ready and able to dive in head first and embrace the change that I know will come.
Ultimately, I know that change is hard but I feel that it is important because it makes me evaluate myself and become better. It gives me opportunities to reach out to new people and learn new things. It helps me be flexible and teaches me to adjust my actions to make the most of my situation. I can only do my best with what I am given and that is what I intend to do today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life because I know that the only constant in my life is change.
