I live in Phoenix, Arizona, where the average rainfall is 4-8 inches a year. Most days, the weather is consistently sunny, warm, and dry. So when it rains, it’s quite a change for everyone.
A few weeks ago, it rained around 2 PM on a weekday. That evening, I was on the phone talking to a friend about how entertained I was to have weather (rain). I loved listening to the rain, seeing the skies change as the clouds rolled in, and I watched the rain fill the streets with water and was intoxicated with the aroma. I mentioned to my friend, the rain provided a delightful afternoon of sensory stimulation.
Then my friend said, “Were you in Phoenix, Arizona today?” I said, “Yes” and she started to giggle. The reason she was giggling: she had been on business phone calls with people from Phoenix on and off for most of the day. This is what she heard about the rain from her phone in the state of Colorado:
• “So and so isn’t at work because it’s supposed to rain today.”
• “I have to leave at lunch today before it rains.”
• “How, am I going to get home in the rain?”
We both thought it was interesting, in that we each had profoundly different experiences in response to the rain. The conversation ended with, “When it rains in Colorado, we turn our windshield wipers on.” I started to giggle because here was yet another experience involving change in the weather. Change always seems to prove the truth in the time-honored adage: “Variety is the spice of life.”
So, here is a quick question to ponder. When change is presented in your home life, at work, or inside your social circle, how do you experience it internally? Do you welcome the change as a source of entertainment, fear, or perhaps, just dismiss it as “no big deal?”
Does your internal experience vary or mostly stay the same when it comes to changes in your life? Are you happy with your reactions and responses when things suddenly change in your life?
If you would like to modify how you react to changes in your life, I would enjoy dialoguing with you and examining how I might support you in navigating, or perhaps even re-framing, your personal experience of change.
I invite you to email or call me at contact@keatscoaching.com or 480-937-0876.