Daily Inspiration 6-26-11

"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."

-- Faith Baldwin

I've lived in the same city now for 27 years. Strangely enough, I've lived in approximately 46 places in my time, so to be in one place for 27 years is a big deal. It's interesting also to see how many changes and the magnitude of some of the changes when you're in a place to see them over time.

Today I was out and dropped by the brand new huge Wal-Mart Super Store. It is built on property that I am quite familiar with. When I first moved to Fairfield, I used to shop at the Albertson's grocery store and several other shops in that large shopping center. Then many of them left as the years past and finally Albertson's left as well. It was pretty much vacant for many years and Wal-Mart took it over and completely started from scratch, except for one thing on the property. The Albertson's store--just that one large building on one end of the shopping center--was sold to a large church. So, on the property is now the Wal-Mart and the church.

I was thinking as I drove out of the Wal-Mart about shopping at Albertson's for so many years and how I never would have guessed it would be a church someday. In front of the Albertson's was a bank that I used to bank at which was razed. The outdoor movie theatre turned into a Raley's shopping center, across the freeway used to be nothing but dirt and now it is hundreds of homes and more shopping centers. The Solano Mall used to be a big open field that had one store--J C Penney's and now it is a huge mall with surrounding commercial property.

And the list goes on. . . I could fill many pages of the changes that I have seen since I've lived here. I don't know where we get the idea that things would or should stay the same, or how we don't think about change until it is upon us. We think of McDonald's being over 55 years old and think it has been the same all this time, but it really hasn't.

The reality is that things and us are changing all the time. There is nothing but change. Everything is in motion.

What's also interesting is that as much as I liked many of the things that are no longer here, I find that virtually all of it has been an improvement--at least in my eyes. I am learning to not just anticipate change, but to embrace it.

Change Is Good.

Spread Some Joy Today--Expect people to change as much as anything else. Love them anyway.