From the editor
I READ A QUOTE ONCE that alluded to the fact that spring is a reminder of how beautiful change can be. And of course whoever said it (it was an anonymous source so I can’t give credit where credit is due) was bang on. Yet, in the throes of day-to-day life, change can feel like many things — but beautiful isn’t necessarily one of them.
Tiring, however? Yes. Oftentimes, change can feel exhausting. New systems. New processes. New buttons. New updates. New versions.
Most days, I take Sarah, our Texas terrier (for want of a better breed description) for a hike in the hilly trails that surround our West Coast home. Sarah was found as a puppy on the streets of San Antonio, Texas, so we were unsure who exactly we were adopting. She came to our city as part of a long-distance program that transports homeless dogs to areas where there are fewer pets in need. When Sarah arrived, our hearts exploded and, in the three years since, she has become an integral part of our family.
On our daily hikes, we pass by — and chat with — neighbors and tourists, all of whom invariably comment on Sarah’s energy level. She jumps over logs, she catches sticks, she chases her tail in happy circles. And every time, I find myself saying the same thing: “She’s tireless.” The take-it-down-anotch gear just doesn’t seem to exist for Sarah.
After one such recent exchange, as Sarah and I walked off (well, I walked, she pranced), it occurred to me what a beautiful gift Sarah’s tirelessness provides. Here is a being — a sentient, living, breathing presence — who began life on the streets, where her destiny was anyone’s guess. Through the kindness of strangers — her rescuers — she was whisked away and nurtured by the kindness of yet more strangers — her foster family — only to be lovingly sent by plane to parts unknown, into the waiting arms of still more strangers. (In this case, us.)
Every step of her journey, Sarah has lived in such a way as to trust the newness. She seems to show that, with patience, on the other side of change there is improvement, and ultimately love. She isn’t exhausted by the transitions. She is infused with and energized by the transformative power of both the micro and macro evolutions in life.
In the uncertain throes of day-to-day life, I look to two very reliable mentors as sources of unending calm. I look to nature in all her springtime wisdom, and to Sarah in all her admirable exuberance. (Change is fun — right, Sarah? We need only surrender to the possibilities.)
I look to two very reliable mentors as sources of unending calm. I look to nature in all her springtime wisdom, and to Sarah in all her admirable exuberance.