There are a lot of phrases we hear way too often. “You haven’t changed a bit,” or “The more things change the more they stay the same.” Whatever they seem to mean, they present change as a negative thing; as something that we should be avoiding. I think those sayings are bologna. I think change is something that should be celebrated.

There have been too many times where people I had not seen in a good amount of time were so disappointed to tell me, “You changed.” As if it was so surprising that I would grow and change in the three months that we had been apart. Like, no kidding I changed.

I understand where this opposition to change comes from. It is scary to put yourself in an entirely new situation in which you do not know the outcome. We cling to what we know because the idea of being left to flounder helplessly is pretty freaking terrifying.

But then came the time for me to go and actually live life on my own. A life that I had no idea what the outcome would be, all I knew is that I had to do it. I had to step out of my bubble and expand my mind and break these fears that were stunting my growth.

And I changed. I met new people who made me want to change; to be a better person. I opened my eyes to the world around me.

I opened my mind to change, not regression. There is a difference. There are still things that I am working towards; there is still a lot that I want to achieve. I hope that for the rest of my journey I can choose to change for the good. That the changes I am making in my life are leading me down the best path.

To me, our comfort zone feels like laying in my cozy bed on a stormy day. Sure, sometimes it feels nice to stay in and not venture outside. Other times you can grab your rain boots and umbrella and go splash in the puddles. It might lead to warmth and comfort, but it might lead to memories.

Change is the natural course of the universe. The weather changes. The world changes. We change. We can either fight it and remain small and stagnant, or we can flourish. And follow the plan that God made for us.