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Changeable Nature

John Carroll

Blog #16 of 24

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April 10th, 2014 - 02:18 PM

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Changeable Nature

No, the photograph on the left isn’t an Arizona sunset, although the colors in it could lead you to suspect it is.

This is actually a shot I took just as the sun was setting in east Tennessee. I’ve named this photo “Molten Sunset” because of the rich, red and orange colors in it, appearing like molten flows of lava I’ve seen on the big island of Hawaii. I like this photo for its unexpected, potent energy. I’d become quite accustomed to seeing the brilliant green colors and soft hues visible at the end of most summer days in Tennessee. As a result, the powerful, igneous character of this sunset surprised me. It seemed to me a bit out of character for its location, but then nature is a changeable thing with many faces to show us.

I think it’s often the case that when you become comfortable with the way something is ...it changes. The change could be as predictable as a weather front moving into your area, or perhaps it might be entirely unexpected as in winning the lottery or losing a loved one prematurely. Change is a natural and continuously occurring phenomenon in our lives. Paradoxically, its existence is the only real constant in the physical world. All things change except change itself.

I used to know an insurance agent who displayed an interesting sign in the lobby of her office. The sign exhorted anyone who entered to “Plan for the Unexpected”. As contradictory as that statement might seem at first glance, there is subtle wisdom in it and not just for folks contemplating the purchase of insurance. Each of us will encounter change as we live out our days. Some of those changes will be understated and barely noticeable, while others may radically alter the course of our reality. Although we may not have a choice about whether or not we’ll encounter change, it is nonetheless within our power to adopt a constructive attitude about change when it makes its inevitable appearance.

Here’s an example. Several years ago I owned a home up in the mountains of Arizona. It was my dream home and, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, it provided cool respite from the summer heat of the desert floor only an hour’s drive down the mountain. I loved that house, at least I did until it was taken from me by a forest fire over a decade ago, along with some 300 other homes destroyed in the same fire. Naturally, I was devastated to lose my haven in the mountains. But as time went on, my sense of loss gradually lessened, replaced by a “clean slate” feeling which energized me to explore a completely new set of options to pursue in my life. Before the fire, I wasn’t writing or taking photographs and if not for the changes eventually introduced by the fire, I still might not be doing so today. Not all changes are immediately good for us but in retrospect the forest fire gave me the opportunity, forced though it may have been, to re-examine my life-style options. In that sense, I believe that its ultimate effect on me was positive after all. Either that or I have an uncanny ability to rationalize disastrous occurrences.

On some days, our sunsets may be soft and gentle and on other days they may be fiery red. Either way, it just makes sense to embrace change when it affects our lives. We might as well, because change is something that will always be with us.

Note:
I intend to update this blog each week and I do hope you’ll re-visit it often. Since I thrive on your comments, I’d really love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me using the blue email link near the upper-right corner of the HOME PAGE for this site to send me any questions or comments you might have...or just to say hello. Thank you.

John Carroll

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