Resistance to change: What is holding you back?

The little seedlings which have been flourishing under my grow lights have finally matured enough to be moved into small pots. This is a major step for these fragile plants. Their world is being completely altered.

Over the past weeks, these seeds burst into life and struggled up through the soil. They then adapted to the environment, adjusting their growth to how much water I misted them with each evening at the same time, how many hours of light I provided for them, how warm my kitchen was, how much fertilizer they were fed. They settled into a comfortable and very predictable existence.

But now, these young plants are being forced to make a radical change. I will be wreching their delicate roots out of the soil and placing them into a different mix. No longer will their environment be sheltered and predictable; they will move permanently outdoors and be at the mercy of the changeable weather, pests, temperature swings, etc.

Plants which fail to adjust and adapt will wither and fade away. The strong ones, who do not resist the changes, will survive. However, it’s not the last step. They will face even more changes.

In another couple of weeks I will uproot them yet again and transplant them into their permanent places in my garden, either in the ground or in a pot. Those plants must adjust completely once again, and the ones that are successful will grow to maturity and fulfill their promise to bloom.

young Coleus plants that i just potted up.

It’s the same for those of us who live with chronic pain & illness. Just when we think we’ve settled into a predictable routine, we get hit again with more pain, with new symptoms, with different problems, and the resulting emotional struggle and frustration.

Are you doing what you know you should be to care for yourself: following your doctors orders, managing your health properly, balancing your life, and working to lessen your pain?

Are you being flexible like my little plants?

Looking honestly at my life right now, I realize I too am guilty of resisting change and things I know are in my best interest, such as:

--not doing my physical therapy exercises regularly

--pushing my body too hard, and not pacing myself 

--not asking for help when I should or allowing people to help me

--allowing myself to fret and lose sleep worrying over new symptoms

--not always eating as balanced a diet as I should

The excuses I have are not valid or in any way helpful to me:

“But I don’t need to...”

“But I can handle it...”

“But I can’t stop myself...”

“But it’s not a big deal...”

But ... but ... but ... !

Take a good look at how you are living day-to-day. Are you doing all you can to adapt and move forward? Shouldn’t we all be focused on how to improve our lives as best we can, both for ourselves and our loved ones?

What is it that *you* are resisting? 

Don’t forget the lesson my young plants are teaching us: 

~Don’t resist unavoidable change

~Adapt as necessary

~Be flexible

~Reach ever upward

~Keep striving until you reach your goal and fully bloom