A lot can change in a year.

Aprecarious situation can be sorted, and become ancient history before you even know it. Something you thought would always haunt you can become the past. A healthcare change can mean a change in living arrangements. Someone can graduate from high school and move on to a new level, and a new way of life. A baby can come into the world and learn so much, change so much, take in so much in a year – and their parents change too (learning how to read distress sounds and happy noises, to go with less sleep and how to creatively use time and carry bags into the house).

Sometimes, we learn something that changes everything – for better or for worse, we integrate knowledge in and the recipe of us adapts – we now know something more, and we choose what to do with what we know. Whether it was better or worse, we get to choose the next moves – and we can still make the best of the worst .... or what feels like the worst.

There are years that go by with so many changes that sometimes it’s like entirely new surroundings. We look around ourselves for a moment and realize how far we’ve come – and for just a few moments a part of us relaxes – we are reassured that sometimes being at the mercy of how life unfolds can be challenging yet so worth it. We remember what it felt like not to know what was going to happen next, and we tell ourselves that this was something learned too – that, when Emily Dickinson said, “I dwell in possibility” there really was something profound to that seemingly small statement. She was referring to her full immersion in poetry, but for us, it truly can be about being open to potential in our lives. Possible becomes one of the most powerful words to us for a while after that, and every time we stop and remember a year where we needed possibility more than others, the potency of it returns.

The world seems to have changed a lot in a year – and it seems that there are those out there who prefer that we live in a strange state of precariousness. The sheer number of natural disasters worldwide has left so many people without very much to hang onto from the familiar and the past. The California wildfires are estimated to have caused upwards of $10 billion in damage – 505,900 acres of land (statistics from www.cnn.com). Those things considered, many of us here in the Townships have been considerably more fortunate...although we have our own disasters as well that can be life-changing and powerful.

We can make moves to better our communities, and pay attention to the world and what is going on from many different angles, sources, opinions, and that we aiming for a place of respect and human rights usually do the trick.

Although, some things don’t change in a year – our favourites (songs, dishes, restaurants, memories) and our pet peeves, likes and dislikes can stay pretty consistent. The same things can still make us smile and laugh, and there are things we can experience over and over again (favourite shows and movies) that never grow old, that we never tire of. There is comfort built right in, and we ease into the familiar.

No matter what, a year always seems to be about some kind of adaptation.

In an article on emotional fitness from Psychology Today’s website, Barton Goldsmith (Ph. D.) suggests that “When a good change appears, accept it with grace. You may not believe you deserve it, or you just may not be ready for it, but the only way to move forward and get the most out of it is to embrace the positivity, however it shows up. When a negative change is looming, start looking for alternatives before it actually happens.”

As 2018 approaches, we can all avoid the urge to resist, and instead build a little resilience as we experience what comes along for all of us – as even the good requires energy and time.

Wishing all of you the right balance, and may 2018 be as kind and gentle with you and yours, as possible.