Hello Friends, where are you?

Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
Tomorrow be today.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Life is full of changes. There are huge life changes and little daily changes. There are even changes in how we view change as we grow and mature.  How someone deals with change says a lot about their personality and temperament.

I used to say that I love change. Growing up with my Dad in the oil and gas industry, my family moved several times and I had to adjust to new schools and new friends, even new regions of the country. Every time I moved, I both loved and hated it. I loved the idea of meeting new people, seeing new things and the idea that anything was possible in this "new" life. I also hated meeting new people, seeing unfamiliar places and not knowing what was going to happen and, of course, leaving old friends behind. I believe that those experiences helped shape me into the woman I am today. Now I don't get scared walking into new places where I most likely don't know anyone (or just one or two familiar faces), I look forward to trying new jobs or hobbies and I think that this stems from learning to adapt to new situations when I was younger.

"Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history."  ~Joan Wallach Scott

What has really been hitting home lately with me is how hard it is to make new friends as an adult. I see lots of familiar faces on my Facebook Friends list. Three are from as far back as elementary school, a few from high school in Texas and several from high school here in Colorado. What I don't see are a lot of close friends here in the community I live in now. Sure I have work acquaintances and some church acquaintances...notice the word "acquaintances"!
 For some reason, I have been having a hard time really making good friends since I have become a mom/adult.  I think some of this has to do with the change in my priorities. My children and my family come first, just as many moms. Where does that leave me and my relationships with other women? My thoughts now have me wondering if I am just not playing the game right...maybe I have changed from that outgoing person I was just a few years ago, maybe I am not as likeable as I used to be (That's not it!), maybe I am not meeting people that I have very much in common with or maybe, just maybe, I am not taking the time to develop friendships with these acquaintances of mine.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."  ~Anatole France

Well, I am going to attempt to change this about my life. They say to pick one major thing to try to change at a time. I don't really like other people's rules, I tend to kind of make up my own as I go along. But in this case, maybe I should just focus on making new friends while doing my exercising and getting healthier. That sounds like some good multi-tasking, right? And it just so happens that some of my acquaintances like to exercise together. Voila! 

So, just to recap: I am going to work out regularly, make some new friends and remember to take time to do things for myself. Whew! All that in a blog that was supposed to be about my kids and I not liking time change and trying to change my habits into healthy ones. It's funny how things change into something we didn't even know was coming. Maybe it shows you how scattered I am in my thoughts right now. I really tried to reign them in to write a semi-coherent article...


And closing with one of the most famous quotes about change...

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”