Steps

Part of living with an acceptance of change as the basic state of existence is understanding that large changes as best approached step by step. While going with the flow is one practical way of living, setting goals and maintaining a quest for improvement with change are also practical elements of living intentionally  in a constantly changing Universe.

I am an advocate of the benefits of walking daily for health and reflection. By learning to set out on my daily walk with no particular destination, I have utilized part of my brain which can guide my steps as they wander and eventually gets me back home. This entails maintaining a sense of direction and time, while enjoying my walk. I see new things. I greet new faces. My trips are varied circuits through neighborhoods in the four points of the compass from my home. I 'encompass' my environment with my daily walks. 

On the days when I am tired or when it is pouring rain, my first steps are my focus. "Just get out there." I tell myself. It always works. 

Being overwhelmed by change comes from obsession with some perceived end point on the other side of the process of making that change. For example, receiving a diagnosis of cancer immediately brings the patient to thoughts of death. However, death is always a potential change in a human life. The diagnosis is frightening because it entails seismic changes in self image, capabilities and lifestyle. 

Looking at change as a matter of taking one step and then another can dispel fear. Setting out on a journey of change without a rigid destination or fixed route also helps a great deal. It all comes back to getting involved in the creative process of change. Learning to seek joy and peace in that process is the key to a rewarding daily practice.