I have lived in my neighbourhood for almost 2 decades. – 14 years in my current home.

It is diverse and special.

The downtown core of my City (my neighourhood) is bound on three sides by water and mountains.  The result is a dense population on a peninsula.

That said, there are several very different areas with different demographics within that small geographic space.

In the last decade, a misguided government has opened the door to glass highrises in my specific neighbourhood.  They have been banned for decades based on the heritage of the area.

I know of at least 8 new really-high towers going up in an 8 block stretch on one street.

We live in a rainforest ~ as evidenced by the beauty of the centuries old trees in-and-around our homes that we enjoy when we walk and say hello to our neighbours doing the same.

You cannot move a tree when the light is blocked by a building.  I am sad for those trees and sad for the next generation of people who live here when much of the nature has been starved of light by short-sightedness and greed.

Change can be a Bitch.

This, in my opinion, is a perfect example of how change can be so ultimately challenging.

Granted, it depends on what side you are on .. in this case, a resident vs. a politician (who, I assume, is getting a kickback every time they fast-track a new building – why else would you agree to this horrible thing?).  Guess who loses?

How do we, as the residents, come to terms with this?

How do we come to a zen place with changes that are not to our liking?  Or match our core beliefs?

They need not all be this distressing.  Even small things that matter a lot to you can be just as important as life changing ones.

It is said that change is:

• good
• inevitable
• the only thing you can count on in life
• that a change is as good as a vacation

I say Crap to all that!

Could it be a symptom of aging?  I don’t think so … I have friends of all generations and it seems that all of us have these challenges.

I don’t think it is about being about being stuck on the status quo either.

~~~

I have ranted here about the change in my life, in my neighbourhood ~ I have no control.

That is the key.

Control.

That is where our fear and anger and angst come in.

We all like to have a say in how our lives go.

I’m sure you have your own story that frustrates you and to which you cannot find resolution.

~~~

Change is inevitable, it seems.

How do we cope when it is not going our way?

1.  We have to Release our own story:

            – changing neighbourhood

            – changing relationships or family status

            – changing lives as children grow and leave

            – changing health

            – to just name a few … fill in your own woe here ….

2.  Then, Accept:

            – so very hard

3.  Then we have to Search our Soul and our Heart for ways to move forward

4.  Then, As Always .. Find the Positive

Most importantly, do not look back ~ that is not the direction we are going.

We may not be on the path that we imagined but we have control of where we go when we reach the next fork in the road.

For better or worse, life moves on ~ the only real control we have is to make the best decisions we can with the information we have and then deal with it.

The twists and turns of our lives make us who we are – wouldn’t it be boring without them?

I guess change is not so bad …