Can you cope with change?

Alright, so this is not a food related post but is it crazy that I literally woke up from bed at 12:23AM to start writing? I spent half hour laying in bed wondering about 'change' and all the changes my life has undergone in the past few years. Does your life undergo constant change or does it feel stagnant? 

Don't get me wrong, I have experienced several moments of stagnation too. Little did I know that these 'moments' were preparing me to experience changes that would influence my life forever. Blah Blah Blah.. I could ramble on and on and bore you with my life history. But I am not going to! Long story short...

A few of my friends, who I consider very close to my heart, recently moved. Here's the kicker.. all of them moved around the same time. How often does it happen to you that just when you develop strong bonds with people , their life undergoes positive transformations and they move? Being a little bit of a cry baby, the news of their individual 'changes' brought tears to my eyes. I was obviously genuinely happy for them and will continue to be, but letting go was difficult. 

My family resides far away from me and when I moved, we all cried. It was hard to let go, but the decision I made was embraced by one and all. Everyone was supportive and we were excited for my future and all the experiences we would have when family visited me. And eventually, we sure did and continue to! I miss some of my closest friends spread across the globe : everybody moved everywhere, so did I. But, what is so different about my friends who recently moved? Why was that more difficult for me to embrace than my own move? Was it because as life progresses, one tends to have fewer but more genuine relationships? Or is it because it is harder to meet people after college and the you want to hold on to the ones you know? Hmm...food for thought!

There is a silly thing I have been doing over the years to cope with all sorts of difficult change...haircuts! I usually maintain a long mane but tend to cut it short everytime an uneasy situation occurs. Don't ask me why, call me silly, but in the moment, this works for me. Ofcourse, in the long run and in the deeper self, a physical/cosmetic change doesn't cut it for me.

Now,let's talk Acceptance. Quite a few of the spiritual books I have read over the years mentions the significance of acceptance. If you accept whatever is occuring around you and simply surrender to the divine, life begins to flow. Living in the moment and simply soaking up every ounce of that 'change' and accepting it is bound to make your life easier. I accompany my physical coping mechanism (aka haircuts), with prayer for comfort, prayer for surrenderance and prayer for acceptance. I will not quote any specific author here as this is simply my understanding of whatever I have read and experienced over the years. This includes my conversation with like-minded individuals and seekers of the ultimate truth (whatever that truth might be). Everything in life is a learning process and experiences help oneself evolve. 

So, I certainly have accepted the fact that my friends have moved and I can finally relate to what my family must have felt like when I moved. Thanks to all that technology, especially Skype, for connecting us to the rest of the world. Advancement in air travel will only shorten distances in the near future and as far as the rising costs of airfare goes, coping with it is something we can all manifest. 

A wise person once said, "Change is inevitable...Impermanence is the only thing that is permanent". 

Good Night :-)