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Learning to embrace the changing tides of life

In my late teens and early 20s, I developed a track record of being foolhardy and impulsive. I had a lust for life that I sometimes look back on fondly, but regretfully. Now that I have made it past the hump of my mid-20s, I have grown to love constancy and familiarity.

In my late teens and early 20s, I developed a track record of being foolhardy and impulsive. I had a lust for life that I sometimes look back on fondly, but regretfully.

Now that I have made it past the hump of my mid-20s, I have grown to love constancy and familiarity.

As an only child, I now cherish time spent with my parents, who I see are getting older with every passing year. I have grown a deep appreciation for friendships that have stood the test of time rather than passing acquaintances. And I hold my childhood pet cat a little closer, as she too is showing inevitable signs of aging.  

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have life figured out yet, but there is one thing that I know for certain – nothing will stay the same.

Change is an inevitable and constant part of life that every human being must come to terms with. Some change is difficult to bear, but through it comes the refining of our character. With every passing day, we grow through what we go through.

And if we resist change and refuse to grow, we find ourselves catching dust and missing out on a life well lived. A quote from one of my favourite childhood books, Tuck Everlasting, reads: “Life’s got to be lived, no matter how long or short. You got to take what comes.”

Some change is external, and out of our control. But there is a kind of change that is within our control – the kind of change that happens within us. In my opinion, this kind of change is the most transformative.

This time last year, I was going through the motions, working a job that did not make me happy. It was a safe and comfortable job that paid the bills, but I felt like I was standing still and catching dust.

I started the job with the notion that it would be temporary and I would find something soon within my field of study. But before I knew it, a year and a half had passed by. I felt comfortable, but bored.

I was faced with a dilemma: Do I stay working at a job that is safe and reliable, or do I jump into the uncertain sea of a career in journalism, like my fourth-grade teacher predicted I would?

The answer was clear – I had to take a leap or keep standing still. Now that I am working as a journalist, I am determined that jumping in to the sea of uncertainty is what makes life worth living.

I know there is more change in my future – it's inevitable. But I face the sea of uncertainty with my eyes set not on the rising tides, but on the beautiful sandy beach beyond.

Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy  

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