Change Is Inevitable.... Thankfully!

 Hi!

Well, it's officially Spring! Soon the snowbanks will be reduced to puddles, and fragile hints of leaves will begin to make a show of themselves.

Soon... right?

The thing is, I don't think the snowbanks got the memo. 

They are hanging on, stubbornly, fighting the inevitable, sticking around, their once pristine, untarnished, pure, white mounds becoming a dirt and salt-laced grungy mess.

That mess will eventually dissipate and become part of the groundwater. The way nature intended, leaving room for new growth, and a warmth only fully appreciated after the harshness of a particularly bitter winter.

A lot of people, well, probably most people where I live, absolutely enjoy winter. The snow, the cold, the dark. They love skiing, sledding, hockey, skating, the long nights... don't get me wrong, after all, I am Canadian, I get it. Winter does carry a semblance of romance and quiet tranquility, what with its cozy fires and hot chocolate and all. But there are those of us who simply wish it didn't last as long as it does.

The beginning of this annual melt is a fabulous reminder that nothing ever stays the same. Both things we wish would, and the things we appreciate do not. 

It's a reminder that sometimes the transition from one thing to the next can be ugly, messy, and can happen in fits and starts. There are steps backward that are sometimes necessary so that things can end up the way they need to be. Progress doesn't always happen through forward-only steps. More often than not, a few steps back are needed to let things soak in, so the scar-causing damage of the run-off that can happen if things move along too quickly...doesn't. Things change at the rate they are meant to. 

It's all progress.

It can feel scary, change, progress. Especially if it takes us into unfamiliar territory, to places we have a hard time understanding.

I still see on different platforms, people's fear of what they don't understand being thrown around. It's sad, because all of the information needed to dissipate that fear and turn it into empathy and compassion is readily available to all. But, for some reason, some insist on clinging to the antiquated misinformation of eras most of us are trying desperately to leave behind.

Change is inevitable. Thankfully. Acceptance, inclusivity, compassion, kindness, and a sense of community are what drives the next generations. 

Racism will end.

Misogyny will end.

Queerphobia will end.

If you are one of the people clinging to any piece of these misguided ideals for whatever reason, it's time to accept that it's Spring. Time for new beginnings, time to let it all melt away. You can do it in fits and starts if you need to, stepping back every now and again to get perspective, but let it all melt. 

At this point, you are clinging to nothing but the salt-laced grungy mess that doesn't belong here anymore. 

Embrace the new growth... it's happening... now you just need to decide whether or not you get left behind to wallow in the muck. 

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May we all come to understand that change is what's necessary to make the world a better place to live.

For ALL of us.