Me at a constantly changing sunset

The population is constantly changing.

Every eight seconds someone is born, every eleven seconds, someone dies. From the time those people are born until the time they die, billions of things will change for them. Some could be subtle changes, like a difference in heart rate, while others could be more monumental, like the destruction of a home. Things are invariably changing and we cannot always obviate them. Nonetheless, the consequences have to be dealt with. 

Change has never been something I’m fond of. It always brings uncertainty to my already frenetic life. However, there are changes that have been beneficial and brought joy to my life. 

There have been positive changes like meeting my best friend and getting my dog. 

My best friend came into my life gradually, but it is possibly the best change of them all. She is the one person I can tell anything to and the person I can take a mental break with—I don’t have to worry about her thinking poorly of me. I have so much fun with her and she’s practically my sister. My dog can also compete for the title of my best friend, even though she is nothing more than a mutt. She is my therapy animal. She has seen me go through everything and is always there for me to cry with, even though she most likely hates it. 

Then, there are the negative changes, like family growing apart and friends moving away. 

When I was younger, I used to panic about my family distancing once my cousins left for college. Now, it has become a reality and the people I used to think of as idols and best friends are now people who I barely know and feel displaced with. Similarly, a friend who used to be a sister is now a stranger going to a different school, in a different house, with a new life. 

Sometimes, I’ve noticed the large and consequential changes are less distressing than the subtle and minuscule ones. Those are what hurt the most. For example, the innocent act of changing plans leaves me with a heartache. I am not sure why the little things bother me more, but they always have. 

I just want everything to stay the same forever. 

Same wall colors, same people, same activities, same locations, same schedules, same scenes, same scents, same habits, same clothes, same shoes, same furniture, everything the same. 

Change is inevitable. 

There is so much of life left and change can keep things intriguing instead of boring and monotone. We need it to help us learn things through new experiences and situations. There are so many positive things that come from it which are constantly overlooked. People tend to do that a lot: looking only to the dark and passing by the light. Possibly, just possibly, that can be changed and we can all have a new perspective for life and many of the things within it. I know that will be what I try to do: change.