Change

Change, I've discovered, is an amazing thing.  I once was terrified of it.  I wanted all things to stay the way they were so my little bubble wouldn't be disturbed.  That's totally unrealistic.  I realize that, but hey, a girl can dream.  Anyway, lots of changes have been happening in the past couple of years.  Everything from my goals, to what I eat, to relationships, to how I feel.  This is great! Now that I can look back on it all I am so proud of all the progress.  The thing about change, however, is that everyone else around you doesn't see it the same way you do.
Friends and family will assume you've either lost your mind or are going through some kind of crisis. Ideally, they'll be supportive, but that's kinda their job.  IF they're any good at it anyway.  Admittedly, I questioned myself at times as well, but coming out the other side of some major life changes really makes you stop and re-evaluate what you once thought was the definition of "you."
Once you start to look inside yourself and question why you do things a certain way and why you are the person you've become, hopefully you have the objectivity to see what's wrong and correct it.  Some people blissfully go their entire lives without ever looking inside of themselves to see what can be improved.  I went a long time like this.  Thankfully, God opened my eyes to some things that most definitely needed changing and gave me the strength to dig deeper.  Once that ball of change starts rolling, it's like a domino effect into other areas of your life.  I find this fascinating. But what really confuses me and what I want to talk about is the fact that other people sometimes can't appreciate it the way you do.
I've seen it happen time and time again.  Someone grows up with a certain attitude, point of view, even personality, then around their mid twenties to early thirties they decide to question some beliefs they've had since they were small due to parents views, friends influence, or whatever.  Then, they decide to look outside their bubble in a quest for new views and information.  They find this new information to really resonate with who they are becoming as an adult.  They begin to relate to new types of people whom they've never really been around before.  They begin to feel themselves transforming into a new person.  They finally feel like they're starting to get this life thing figured out (as if) but yet, sometimes they are met with resistance from the people who they've been associated with for all the years before the change.  Sometimes this completely alienates those who don't wish to understand the changes.
The thing I find most intriguing is that no matter the resistance or misunderstandings, this new version of self is going to surface and shine.  There's no way you can hide it under a rock and remain how you were before.  What you've discovered is just too great to let it go unnoticed.  It should be celebrated and brought to light.  It should be brought out in the open and understood by everyone.  I just pray that your "everyone" will accept your changes and celebrate them with you.  That is the key.  No matter what you go through in life, how many changes you make, how crazy they may seem to those who love you, your tribe will back you up all the way.  And if they can't do that, they aren't your tribe. Get in where you fit in and enjoy the ride.  Life is too short to worry about what people think.