On the topic of change

I think it’s human nature to want to hope for the best.

We want to believe things will get better on their own. That’s why we stay in that job we don’t particularly like, or hang on to that dysfunctional relationship that is draining us of our life source. If only we hold out long enough, eventually things have got to get better. Right?

Change scares some people. In fact, I suspect it scares most people. Sometimes even if every fiber of your being is screaming for you to get out of your current situation, the alternative – the unknown – is disconcerting enough for you to justify doing nothing differently. Disturbing the status quo means you could be setting yourself up for a potentially worse situation than the one you’re already in.

Change doesn’t happen overnight. Once you’ve made that first step towards change, you might think you made a mistake and doubt your decision. You might have to make a few missteps before you make the right one that’s going to truly make you happier. But at least you’re making an attempt to better your situation, and eventually you’ll see your efforts pay off.

Life has a way of strolling right in and having its way with you if you let it. I’ve been Life’s bitch on more than one occasion, but I’ve never taken it lying down. I‘m going to take moment to pat my own back for all the changes I’ve made in my own life, despite how incredibly painful and difficult they’ve been. I tend to beat myself up more than I congratulate myself, so this is one of those rare instances when I’m doing the latter. Way to go, Mands.

On that same note, I’m incredibly proud of our country and the direction we’re taking to improve our situation. It took us a long time to get to this point where we decided we’re ready for a change in direction, but we’ve arrived at that place now and we’re finally saying, “We deserve better.”

There are a lot of people who aren’t pleased with the changes we’re facing, to put it mildly. They would rather stick with the abusive husband who’s been bloodying their face for years. Who is this guy with the funny name who’s shaking things up with all of his crazy ideals? We’re more comfortable with the good old boys who have been robbing us blind and fucking things up for years, thank you very much.

We’re going to be just fine – you, me, all of us are going to be just fine. We’re doing exactly what we should be doing to improve our situation, which is to not settle for the way things are. The world is watching us; let’s show them how it’s done.

All hail President Barack Obama!