One advantage of growing older is noticing patterns that may occur. Do you ever have the feeling of “deja vu”? Have you had the gnawing feeling that comes around again when you thought you were past it? Do you ever get triggered by something old, something you thought you had conquered, only to find it cropping up again?
Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy
I’ve learned that time is not linear, but cyclical, just as the world turns and the seasons come around. And what of us? Are we changed when this new season comes in again and we find ourselves triggered? Some believe that when we have conquered something that has been a challenge in our life we won’t encounter it again. But that does not always hold true. We meet challenges again and again, but maybe this time we can recognize it, and we now have a new perspective. This can help us to develop mastery. We are given the opportunity to practice what we have learned. Yes, we can master new behavior, new ways of being in the world that may serve us and those around us better.
Recently, I was reminded of past behavior of others that at an earlier time would have taken me into a tailspin of worry, or trying to appease them, trying to make things better for them in their apparent crisis. Now, I’m not so easily drawn in. I am able to be more circumspect, to remain caring, but detached, and it truly helps me to remain calm instead of spiraling into their emotional space. From this calm place, at least one of us is able to be logical, with room to think creatively, to look at another angle from which to move forward.
And, in time, all shall be well.