Shifting

The morning was grey, then light rain, soaking into the ground.  Temperature dropped to 64 degrees fahrenheit - you could feel the shift last night.  Today is Saturday.

At any given time, one can tap into the shifting that is happening all the time, but frequently not detectable.  It's in the subtlety.  In our environment, our bodies, our minds.  There is a constant that is change.

We mark the passage of time and re-orient to the fact of change when milestones come along.  A birthdate, an anniversary, a graduation, the due date on a big bill that has to be paid, a diagnosis that answers questions about how we are feeling - these are things that remind us, "Oh yes, things are shifting all the time!"

Then, there may be an adjustment - in our diet, our daily routine, our search for ways to meet the shifting that is relentless in its consistency - like time.  Nothing stops.  And, we one day realize, it is the infinite moments called "now" that make for the way in which we define eternity, and its companion - impermanence.

Some of the people we know will make shifts seamlessly - there has been some measure of preparation, anticipation of how shifts will affect others, readiness for conditions that cannot be known.   There is no attachment to image, doctrine, trait - it's all in passing.  To be able to transform, shift, flow gives texture to living.

As one old teacher put it, "Expect, but don't expect!"  That is a lesson that has brought many gifts on this life journey.  

Expect the best in people; but don't be surprised to find that you won't always see what you might wish to see.  Another face emerges.  Expect the appointments to be kept but be ready for the last minute cancellation - and notice when such things happen again and again with a particular person. Then one can shift the expectation, from having an appointment, to expecting that the appointment will be cancelled so a ready alternative can easily transfer into the time that had been reserved!  (And maybe the alternative will be better than the original plan.). Expect that common sense will guide decisions, but don't be surprised to see irrational and unreasonable decisions made - on behalf of the individual and the rest of society!  These days, we see quite a few examples in the realm of environmental, political, economic decision-making.

Shifting is also a capacity that one must cultivate as a skill in itself - as in having the ability to "use skillful means" in difficult situations we face in life, or to bring playfulness and joy.  So being "grounded" actually means having the flexibility to be able to shift, with ease.  What that might mean in any given situation is unique to every person's encounter with people and places.  

In the end, it seems that if we can remember that things are always changing, that shifting is a skill, that every moment is unique unto itself and precious – we may have a shot at connecting with the fact that all things are impermanent, and truly, the only constant in life is change.