Falling with YAA: Changing of Seasons, minds and hearts

By
Danielle Leong
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0
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Chestnut on Apple Seedling on Emoji One  Sunflower on Google

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Green Leaf Fluttering in Wind on Microsoft               jealousy, guilt, healing, 
    ↓
yellow  ☀           cheerful, happy, irresponsible, unstable
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orange  Maple Leaf on Google          courageous, confident, ignorant
    ↓
red     Maple Leaf on Twitter                  loving, energetic, powerful, dangerous, angry
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        trees 1    In parallel to the fleeting feelings and emotions that we humans experience, leaves in the season of Autumn change in an abstract and varying  manner.  These constantly changing emotions which engulf us are actively shaped by our ever-evolving life situations and the ever-changing people within them. This change that is inevitable in our lives, sometimes good, sometimes bad, often leaves in its trail altered perspectives and people.  I myself can attest to this, for the me who is writing this now, about to enter Grade 12, is much different than the me who finished grade 11 two months ago.
         Change often forces it’s way into our lives, leaving us no choice but to accept it. What inspired me to write about change is the fact that right now is when I would say the first major change of it’s type is happening in my life:
         It’s Autumn, which means that the close friends who we’ve made in the grade above us are now leaving Calgary to begin their lives in Unviersities around the world. Earth Globe Europe-Africa on Apple
          Although this change-leaving one’s home to pursue one’s future- happens on a yearly basis and is a part of life, I found that I struggled for a while to accept it.  The idea that I would no longer be seeing those familiar faces; that I would no longer be able to laugh and talk to many of my role models on a regular basis; made me quite sad. Along the same lines, there is also the intimidating idea that entering grade 12, I will be in the shoes of my older friends- soon, I too will be one of the many applying for universities and graduating(hopefully)- another pretty big transition in life.  Thankfully, this summer I’ve learned much about change, embracing it, life, and myself.  I’ve learned to welcome instead of  reject change. Alas, As I write this post, although I will miss those close to me who are leaving, more and more I am welcoming what I’ve realized is a simultanious blessing and curse; change.

       One of the many things I’ve learned this summer that has helped me to embrace this change is that as quickly as people walk out of your life, new people walk in.  During an especially difficult patch of time where I was still learning to accept change, Hui Wen and I took our perfectly timed trip to

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Hui Wen, myself, and our wise friend Jacky atop of one of the most beautiful places in the world, Mount Baldy.

SUNIA (watch out for our follow-up blogs!), which turned out to be one of the best weeks of both of our summers. Black Sun With Rays on Emoji One  Although every single new friend we made had so much insight to give in the short amount of time we spent together, Hui Wen and I were particularly privileged to befriend someone from the UN, Jacky Tong.  Being exposed to so many different life situations and copious change of all degrees, Jacky offered Hui Wen and I priceless insight into countless topics, especially that of change.

Let us begin with a story from Ancient China which Jacky passed on: Scroll on emojidex
The Lost Horse.

塞翁失馬

A man who lived on the northern frontier of China was skilled in interpreting events. One day for no reason, his horse ran away to the nomads across the border. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing?” Some months later his horse returned, bringing a splendid nomad stallion. Everyone congratulated him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a disaster?” Their household was richer by a fine horse, which the son loved to ride. One day he fell and broke his hip. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing?”

A year later the nomads came in force across the border, and every able-bodied man took his bow and went into battle. The Chinese frontiersmen lost nine of every ten men. Only because the son was lame did father and son survive to take care of each other.

ending note: ” blessing turns to disaster, and disaster to blessing: the changes have no end, nor can the mystery be fathomed.
So, change is mysterious. One cannot say for sure if it’s a blessing in disguise or the opposite. Or, maybe we can also say, change itself is neither good nor bad. It’s simply an event. So, we just have to accept it.”
horse
      The words of this story ring true.  Although it’s impossible to know in and near the moment of change, oftentimes the change leads to bigger and better things down the road. (example): although I value and miss my now-University friends, as I know that maintaining friendships long-distance can be tough, I am excited to have room to form new relationships in my life) Almost always, it is while the change is occurring that we endure the brute of the struggle of acceptance (if the change isn’t something you favour).  However, just remember that years, or maybe even months from the now, you will reflect and be grateful for these experiences life throws at you, which only add to your life bank of knowlege.  Through every change in one’s life comes a new experience, and from that new experience is a lesson that can be learned. Scroll on Apple
         One of the life lessons I’ve learned early on is that rarely anything goes as planned, just another reason to embrace change.  When I first began high school, I meticulously planned out every detail of my life.  However, I’m happy to say that nothing went the way I thought it would, and I wouldn’t change anything.  After all, as Jason Mraz sings,
    We must live some and learn some. I find that the spontaneity of life is part of what makes it so exciting.  Already, I appreciate the unexpected, and after reflection I am now able to  appreciate the changes this summer which have altered my perspective in life on, well, change. Accepting that change is life and there will always be pros and cons- for example, people leave to live their lives and go to amazing universities (including myself eventually), but I get to spend one more year with a bunch of other amazing people (some who I haven’t even met)– has allowed me to not only accept change, but begin to embrace it.
       Change is inevitable, and more times than others we have no way of controlling things that are meant to be surprises, good or bad.  So why fight it? Instead of fighting what arrives naturally, embrace it and make the best out of your situation- find the silver lining, there’s one on every cloud.  Cloud on LG
 For myself and many others I’m sure who have experienced change this summer, the changing of leaves in Autumn not only marks the changing of seasons, but the changing of how we view change and even the changing of our mindsets. (whew, that’s a lot of “change” in one sentence) And who knows- Summertime is beautiful, but Autumn and the winter which follows are equally so.  Although fond memories have been made with my departing friends, they are now stashed away, and I have no doubt in my mind that this final year of high school will create many, many more.  Of course, I have a pretty clear vision of what my Grade 12 year is going to look like- but what’s even clearer in my mind is the knowledge that things will 99.9% not go as expected-they’ll go better.  I suspect that this year will be the year of the most change for me, as it’s already started.  But now I feel way more ready than at the end of grade 11, and I look forward to the excitement that change will bring, and I look forward to not only simply accepting it, but embracing it.
After all, if you think about it, in life is there really a more constant constant than that of change?
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