Writing with Laura, and the Chaos of Change

January In Colorado - my lunchtime walking path

Writing with Laura: I am pleased to be a guest on author Laura Wolfe's blog, Writing with Laura, on January 25th. I answer questions about why I write fiction, the highlight of my writing career, and what I do at my day job. My interview may be viewed here.

The Chaos of Change: The wood flooring project continues. Sunday, with the help of the grandkids, we cleared out everything from the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and closets. My life will be upside down for at least the next two weeks.

My husband decided it was now or never for some long contemplated renovation, before the floor is installed. He is knocking out walls. More chaos, and clouds of drywall dust. I know there will be more work as a result - drywall installation and all the fun that entails. Then painting.

​Change typically brings destruction first. Discomfort, disruption, and inconvenience. If we didn't have a specific goal in mind, I would be in complete despair, having lost the use of half my house. I know the end game. No more hideously stained, beyond redemption carpet. The permanence of oak floors. Hopefully, the alleviation of allergies.

Change brings improvement. A better lifestyle. The achievement of goals. Maybe you've decided to start, or finish, that college degree. Write a novel. Clean out a closet. Each of these projects involves creating a big mess first. Maybe that's why we find change uncomfortable. It's the in between stuff, not the end result, that we resist. 

I think hard about beginning projects with the level of effort involved in installing wood floors, and yet I have several grandiose goals this year that are guaranteed to bring a certain level of pain, both mental and physical. The one goal I have failed to achieve recently has been to simplify life. This also involves a certain level of destruction as I let go of the unnecessary clutter in my life. I am cleaning closets, in a way.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is quoted as saying "change is the only constant in life." I suppose we should accept that change is inevitable, even beneficial, and find a way to deal gracefully with the discomfort along the way.

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