My New Response to "You've Changed"
Have you ever had this statement directed at you, and been unsure of how to respond?
You’ve changed.
Well, I finally heard a reply that lit me up. And here’s my new response:
Thank you.
That’s it. Thank you.
Because even though the person making the comment may not be excited by who or what we’ve outgrown (or that we’ve outgrown them), we have the right to be thrilled.
We have the right to be absolutely stoked that we’ve evolved.
That we’ve done the best we can with the tools that were available to us. And then, when we’ve received more insight, more empathy, more knowledge, more wisdom, we’ve done better.
That we’ve used obstacles to build strength… not as excuses for why we haven’t moved forward.
If we’re keeping a pulse with our truest self – maybe you call it intuition, inner divine, God or the God within, purpose… – we will change.
Because what if we never changed? What if we didn’t reserve the right to...
To change our minds?
To forgive ourselves?
To realize a stranger has a story that could bring us to tears?
To understand we look at a world through lenses colored by our own story, ones no one else is wearing, creating a picture no one else is witnessing?
To do challenging stuff and realize we’re so f*cking strong and capable?
To move, grow and become a truer version of ourselves?
And on and on and on.
Thank goodness I’m not still the person I was in high school. Or in my 20's. But bless her for getting me to where I am now. (And I’ll likely say the same thing about this time and place.)
If you’re feeling me, keep going. Do you.
Change, even if it doesn’t thrill those around you.
Thrill yourself, always.
x Kacey Janeen
