Sacrifice to become............

"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."-Charles Du Bos

For people, like actors and musicians, becoming someone else is a habit which is comfortable. I, on the other hand, struggle with change. I like my keys to be hanging on the wall behind the door. I like my pocketbook to sit in the same place. I like my favorite tv show to be always in the same time slot. However, I am always open to learning new skills. Self taught or learned skills give a boost to my often low self-esteem. The first time I maneuvered a tractor trailer through the streets of Hershey, Pa was so incredible. After doing it for a while it became mundane. For a long time I thought all learning must translate into an increase in pay. Over the last 8 years or so I've reevaluated that thought. Now learning for the sake of knowing is enough. I've taught myself to crochet, paint, sew and identify the birds in my yard. By doing these creative activities I've released a lot of stress and become a better person. I'm not quite so driven in a single fashion. Art in its many forms flows and ebbs like a tide or swollen river breaching its banks. Change has become a welcome acquaintance, if not a bosom friend. Opening up to new experiences allows for acceptance of opposing views. Change happens to move you to a new perspective, like looking at a tree through a window versus going outside to touch and smell the tree in addition to looking at it. Immersion in my surroundings rather than observation of them is educational in itself. But, I had to change my position to allow for my perspective to change. By allowing the tide to flow, rather than building a dam to direct it, took less work and resulted in new found hope and faith in the world around me.