The Times, They are a changing

One thing that is constant in life is change.  It seems that as human beings, we are not quite in tune to that fact.  Perhaps it is a survival technique we use to protect ourselves from the inevitable.  As we go about our day to day existence, there is a feeling that it's always going to be this way, however, if we look at the history of our lives, we know this isn't true.

My own life has been through many changes in the last few years.  On the scale that is used to determine impact on your psyche, mine would rate fairly high.  The following is a list of those changes:  divorce, remarriage, loss of both parents, children left home, became a grandparent, changed jobs, and moved.

Other changes I have experienced throughout my life have been a total turnabout.  When I was younger, I loved summer.  I was somewhat of a beach bum, loved the heat and laying in the sun.  Now I look forward to fall and winter and seem to embrace the cold.
From the time I was born, regular church attendance was a part of my life.  I started out as a Lutheran but changed course at about age 32 at which time I headed to a nondenominational church.  About ten years ago, I realized that Unitarianism fit me the best and now church attendance is no longer a part of my life.  So it has been a spiritual journey and now nature is where I feel the closest to God.
The latest change that has occurred is the giving up of meat.  I grew up on a hog farm, and eating meat at almost every meal was how I was raised.  As time went on, I noticed that while I still ate meat, it was less than previously.  Recently, I watched two documentaries.  The first was called "Fresh" and showed how animals are mistreated and where our meat actually comes from; the second was called "Forks over Knives" and documented the health issues of eating meat.  It focused on patients that were able to get off all their meds and have their diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure virtually go away.

So I am now approaching my third week of not eating meat, and it's going very well.  I don't miss it at all and have found that it also makes you more aware and conscious of every thing you eat. It causes mindfulness.

So really nothing ever stays the same, even though we may think it does.

Thought for the day:  When you are finished changing, you are finished.   Benjamin Franklin