The oak in my backyard is changing. Adapting, really – to shorter days and cooler temps. This ongoing process of responding to the environment is essential, not just for trees but for every living thing. Respond to the current reality – “go with the flow” we might say.
Yet we resist. We want to want to maintain the constancy (and relative safety) of what we know and what we do. What we’re used to. What’s always worked. What we’ve always done. Logistically, our routines and habits make things smoother, easier. One less thing to think about, or put effort towards. One less thing to worry about.
Change is hard. But so is sticking with something that isn’t working anymore.
“I never used to have to stretch.”
“I never used to need a warm-up.”
“I used to be able to stay up later.”
“I used to be able to go all day.”
“I never used to need a down day.”
“I used to be able to eat anything I wanted.”
“I never used to get sick so often.”
“I never used to get tired like this.”
“I used to bounce right back.”
I hear a lot of this kind of thing. I hear myself saying it. I also see how long we often resist this call to do things a little differently. To adapt to the current reality. Like the oak.
Maybe change is hard because on some level it involves loss. The loss of a previous version of ourselves, those old routines and behaviors, our attachments to specific outcomes and the certainty we place on them. Loss is tough. But there’s a lot of discomfort when we get stuck in the space between old ways (that aren’t working) and new ways (that hold promise).
In reality, your body is constantly changing and adapting. To the various demands you place upon it, the quality of care you take of it, your environment, and, of course, the passage of time. (Call it aging if you want.) Posture is the adaptation to your physical and emotional environment. Strength an adaption to demand, and conversely, weakness an adaptation to lack of use.
Someone recently asked me how long it takes for our body to respond when we stop doing something detrimental. (In this case, eating too much added sugar.) The answer is immediately. Your body operates in real time. As soon as you stop the insult; it’s working to recover. How long until you feel a difference depends on a few things, but especially your experience with paying close attention to the body your mind inhabits, plus the wisdom that comes from doing that. (Fwiw – it’s never too late to start 🙂
That oak will look different every day between now and when there are no leaves at all. And then even in the relative quiet and dark of winter, when it appears nothing is happening, it is adapting to its present reality, steadily preparing for what’s ahead.
Are you?