People change but default to the familiar

Dear Readers, This week's reflection centers around change. There's been a lot of this in my life over the past year; I gained a new title and level of responsibility and said goodbye to a life as a (somewhat) carefree, childless woman. In fact, It Takes a Village was created as a medium for sharing my complex and relatable feelings.

There's an old expression that states the only constant is change (credited to Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher). Meaning, life cannot go on unless it is constantly moving, and that change is central to the universe. I won't dispute a Greek philosopher who was revered for his belief system on this topic. I will add that people often default to their old behaviors or personality traits in times of stress, uncertainty, vulnerability and significant circumstantial change. Behaviors, meaning the way we act toward something or respond to a certain situation or stimulus don't necessarily change throughout our lives. At 10:44 am on November 9, 2022, I delivered our daughter and became a mother. I knew my life would never be the same from that moment. I even thought of how she will call us in 40 years from now just to "check in on mom and dad." As I've acclimated to being a mother and embracing a mountain of change, I've noticed that I tend to retreat to my old feelings/reactions if I am excessively tired, get excited by one of Evangeline's milestone behaviors, get praise at work or feel stressed from the daily balance of time demands. Speaking of professional demands, I have been working as a digital content creator at the local animal shelter for a few weeks now. In case you're wondering, I love the work! I find that when I get in a good rhythm with my marketing tasks and start checking off to-do items on my list, I feel the same level of pride in accomplishment as I felt before. I love the work that I do because it has an impact on the community, and it gives me purpose. As the Executive Director at the shelter stated, it fills a different cup than motherhood. Not better than caring for Evangeline and seeing her grow and develop, just different. I also feel that I am a happier, healthier and more present mom for her. Our lives, goals and circumstances will change. We will embrace different seasons. The Earth will continue to rotate around its axis. However, who we are in our core may not change.