Today I got to thinking about how “the only constant is change.” As Davey and I walked through Murray Hill (the neighborhood, not the drag king) to where we get our hair cut, I thought how I first became familiar with the neighborhood through a guy I dated years ago who lived there. Walking down those streets, past his apartment building, brings up memories and I got to thinking – nothing stays the same. What is reality in your life at one point in time won’t be that way forever. Relationships change, relationships end, same goes for friendships and jobs.
Several years ago when I dated that guy, I had no way of knowing that it wouldn’t last for long (just under two years) but for that moment in time I was with him and I was happy with him (until we both grew to be unhappy with each other). We have no way of knowing how our lives will change. I’m sure that Butterfly Temptress had no way of foreseeing that in her early 30′s she’d be in a life or death struggle with cancer. No one expects that. I’m sure when my grandmother beat breast cancer in her 40′s she had no way of knowing that it would show up in her remaining breast 40 years later (or that she’d beat it again, and beat a third bout of cancer at age 90, only to die from a stroke about a month before her 92nd birthday). Life is so unexpected.
And so that leads me to think, if you’re in a happy place in your life you really should cherish it and enjoy it for as long as it lasts, for nothing lasts forever. Dating MasterDoc, who is 18 years older than me, I’m painfully aware that the odds are he’ll pass away before me. This freaks me out to no end, but I realize that I have to enjoy every minute I have with him. I should try not to get caught up in petty bullshit but instead treasure whatever time we have together, because you never know what could happen (something could happen tomorrow, something could happen to me to take me away first, who knows).
But all this change can have a positive effect as well. If you’re not in a happy place in your life, realize that it, too, will change. Bad relationships don’t last forever, crappy jobs can be left for better ones. While it’s sad that the wonderful things in life don’t last forever, it’s wonderful that the lousy things in life don’t last forever either. When I start a new job of course I worry that I won’t be happy there, but I keep in mind that if I hate it, I can always look for another job. I’ve had many wonderful close friends during my adult years so far, I’m not particularly close to any of my old friends at the moment. For a brief period of time, something is right for your life, but it can all change. You never know. But take comfort in the fact that something else wonderful will come along. Someone else will be your friend, someone else will love you and make you happy. (Or if you’re lucky and poly like myself, two people will love you and make you happy. *grin*) While change brings heartache sometimes, it also brings new and exciting adventures your way.









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