The only constant is change (guest post).

“The only constant is change”

That’s not my quote, but I believe it.

Once you know that the natural state of things is to evolve then change is something you may actually look forward to.

Maybe I believe that because of my background.

To give you an idea, I went to three different high schools, in three different countries, each in a different continent with a different language. My dad worked for a multinational corporation, and that’s the way things were.

Once I left home, I continued to crave change.

In my professional life I have gone through investment banking on Wall Street, to high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, to social entrepreneurship in Chile, to preschool teacher in Florida.

It may sound schizophrenic, but if you knew the details of my life you would see it makes perfect sense.

I allowed myself to ebb and flow. I prefer to be a jack of all trades and master of none.

Though I must admit I felt ungrounded, a mizfit of sorts, for a chunk of my life. Yet I am no longer aimless. After looking for “security” in all the wrong places, I found my center.

I got married, became a mom, and have this incredible little clan I call my own. We are creating our family culture, and it is one that allows each one of us the space to be who we are.

And we are each allowed to have a variety of interests, to follow different paths, and to dabble in a myriad of activities.

My husband has changed jobs, I have become a fitness freak, my kids change after school activities with each season. Dreamer, age eight, may not be the next Tiger Woods but he will be a well-rounded individual who might just be an incredible golf player.

Change brings freedom.

I don’t have to lock into who I want to be forever. I am allowed to change my mind, to be exposed to different topics and fall in love with a new hobby.

For example, I found triathlons about three years ago and it has taken over. This sport has brought me to health, new friendships, and allowed me to change careers once again becoming a blogger at TriathlonMami.

And so I embrace change; both for myself and for those I love.

I get excited with moving houses, cities, or countries.

I understand that only a few of my friendships will withstand the test of time and that is okay. It doesn’t mean that those friendships that stay in the past were not important. My friends today are my core, and very important to who I am, yet the bond that unites us may not exist ten years down the road.

When Fearless (now six) was a newborn I had a mom group that saved my life.

I loved those women, and lived to see them. They were the basis of my sanity during a crazy time. Though I am in touch with many of them through social media, I am no longer as intimate as I was in the past. Our children grew, went to different schools, chose different hobbies, and schedules make it hard to get together. That is okay.

I will always love them for the time we were inseparable.

Life is easier when you go with the flow, and when you realize that though there might be a tinge of sadness when one period is ending, there is joy in the space it creates. Every hole in your heart that is born from a loss, is one waiting to be filled with a different joy.

Embrace the change. Don’t fear it.

As long as you know it’s constant change can always be welcomed, and who knows where you will find yourself years down the road.

 

 

Cristina is a wife, mom, advocate and triathlete writing about her trials and triumphs on her way to a healthy life at www.TriathlonMami.com.