Shoney's and black Reeboks

"The only real constant in life is change."


I am getting old enough now to understand a few things about life. One of the things I am just beginning to understand is the whole concept change – and the cost of resisting it. Change in constant. Change is no respecter of persons. Change is everywhere. It is inevitable. Fashions change. Technology changes. Gas prices change. God, do they change. Relationships change. Likes and dislikes change. Stages of life change. Love changes. And eventually, change comes knocking on your front door. Kids change us. Pain changes us. Life has a way of bringing about change – some for the better and some not so good. Nothing stays the same, no matter what you want.


Here's the other part of it – the big kicker. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Sure, you can try and fight it. Take a look around and take a look at all the mullets, LeBaron convertibles, 30-year-old kids living at home, old folks' home décor choices from 25 years ago, old guys trying to be young (shut it) and companies going bankrupt. Does anyone still really LIKE to eat at Shoney's? There are plenty of examples of people trying to fight change and refusing to budge. Sure, there's comfort in the familiar. But, that's just not how the world works. We must adapt. Otherwise, the outlook can be pretty bleak.


So, what do we do? I mean, here I am a guy that graduated high school in '88, approaching mid-life and fathering two wonderful sons. I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Can I hold on forever and keep everything the same in my life? Sure, and I could still be wearing acid wash jeans, sporting a curly mullet (yes, I admit it) and wearing my stinky, yet very cool Sebago shoes without socks (the source of the odor). Chicks go wild over a Chevy Beretta GT - or at least they did 20 years ago! Sure, there are times that I wish I could keep my boys at their current ages forever. They love their daddy and think that I can do anything in the world. That will pass and I am going to hate it. What am I to do?


In the end, the great irony is the fact that the only real thing we can do when change comes is… change. That's right. WE can change. That is the only real thing we do. Give up trying to do anything else. Believe me, I am speaking from experience here. The more we try and control things around us, the less control we truly have. I can't really control my kids, job or anything else in my life. That is, nothing else except for ME. I can control me and me alone. I can choose to remain open to new things. I can choose to look forward and not back. I can choose to embrace the impending changes and be excited about new experiences rather than cursing "inconveniences" that, in the end, seem to make my life even more enjoyable.


Friends, resistance is futile. I must change. You must change. We can do this. If we don't, if we remain rigid and hold on to ridiculous things which are not worth holding on to, then life will leave us behind. I have been there. It's not pretty. And when that's the case, YOU will end up being the one laughed at while shopping at Target because you are still wearing black Reeboks. And believe me, you don't want that.