“Who says I can’t be free?
From all of the things I used to be,
Rewrite my history,
Who says I can’t be free?”

- John Mayer, “Who Says”

There’s no need to think we can’t change everything in our lives in a heartbeat. Think back to when you were a kid with grand plans to become a doctor or firefighter or even the president. The possibilities seemed endless and we didn’t spend our time being pragmatic about our dreams. Recapture that innocence. The world is what we make of it, in more ways than most people understand.

All that matters is this moment; just because you have a history of getting angry quickly or gossiping doesn’t mean you always will. Start the positive change now. Take life moment by moment, choose your own actions, and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Thinking you can’t change who you are means that you are living in the past and allowing it to dictate your future. Since neither past nor future exist, what you are really doing is keeping yourself out of the present moment, which is all there really is. Do what you want to do and be who you want to be. Make today the day you rewrite your history and truly become free.

After the loss of the presence of a dear friend several months ago, I have gazed into this reflected pool on a daily basis and have been given profound insights into the many facets of myself, both light and dark. While challenging, the process unerringly cleared my vision, allowing me to see the underlying elements of our friendship and the roles we played with, and for, each other. While the change is not one I would have consciously chosen, I now embrace a fuller, richer view and have come to a peaceful resolution within myself.

I’ve come to see that nothing of substance is ever lost, it merely changes form. The bonds between people create their own unique energy, a living essence borne of their connection. The love, growth and expansion experienced within a deep and loving relationship remain forever whole, and alive, integrated fully within the heart. If untouched by anger and judgement, this energy holds forever every laugh, every smile, and every shared profound moment, and is able to flow freely through your heart and into your life.

Many lessons have revealed themselves throughout this process… lessons I will be integrating for some time, no doubt. But, as a whole, I’ve learned to open my heart more readily to the unfolding mysteries of change; to grasp, a little more deeply, the divine wisdom that speaks through the faces and events of my daily life; and to honor more fully the sacredness of the present moment against the ever-changing backdrop of life itself. Perhaps the greatest gift of impermanence is one of providing a catalyst for an essential shift in perception, allowing us to adopt a higher perspective and revealing the beauty of transformation inherent within its very nature.

Namaste

A Buddhist monk once told me: “All I have learned in the twenty years that I have been a monk I can sum up in one sentence: All that arises passes away. This I know.” What he meant, of course, was this: I have learned to offer no resistance to what is; I have learned to allow the present moment to be and to accept the impermanent nature of all things and conditions. Thus I have found peace.”
-Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

From time to time we may find ourselves thinking about “the good ol’ days” wishing we could return to the past, when everything was better. Of course, that usually isn’t actually the case since we have a tendency to gloss over anything we didn’t like, but that’s not the point of the above passage. Rather, the point is things never stay the same, and that should bring great comfort. It does not matter what it is, something always changes, be it the people, the place, or even simply our perceptions.

The sooner we realize this, that change is a ubiquitous reality that affects everything, the sooner we can come to terms with this moment. And that’s all that we ever really have, is this moment. Senior Year of high school, complete with football games to attend, freshmen to haze, and a general feeling of invincibility will never come back. (Some of you are thinking, “Thank God.”) That brand new car you bought will never look as good as it did on the lot and never smell as good, either. Embrace this.  Don’t spend time wishing for the good ol’ days to return, live them!

By the same token, if you are finding yourself in a bit of a rough patch, that too will change. Soon everything will swing back in your favor and you will feel just fine. But only if you let it. In order to improve your life situation, you have to let go and allow the change to happen. This is true whether you are happy now or not. Many people have devoted an immeasurable amount of energy attempting to keep everything neatly in a box, tucked away hoping to preserve the status quo. It won’t, and that’s the best part! Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Let go of your desire to control. When we try to resist change, what we are really doing is attempting to control the uncontrollable. Let go. Embrace the fact that everything tomorrow will be different, whether just a little or a lot. Embrace what comes to you, whatever it may be, with the knowledge that permanence is an illusion. Wasting our time chasing an illusion is a bit silly, don’t you think?