Have you ever felt left out?
That lingering feeling of wanting to be there but you just can't keep up, somehow make you feel like a blur in other people's eyes. How about in relationships? How many friends do you have now? Were they the same circle of friends you had when you were younger? Is your partner still the same, up until now? Is he/she different from your past breakups? If yes, good for you, you've kept up with the changes, and nothing, and no one was left behind. Or is there?
It is a well-known fact that we live in a changing world, as change determines whether or not we embrace or ignore opportunities in life. Fear of the unknown future is what sometimes prevents us from moving forward and, at times, neglects change.
But, is change really necessary?
Oh how time passed by so quickly, felt like just yesterday I was still frustrated because I lost in a game with my cousins. As kids, we used to play, a lot. We knew how to have fun, even the simplest play of Pokémon cards had us rolling on the ground with laughter. We love going to funfairs, fiestas would excite us with the thought of having to ride merry-go-rounds or shoot tiny soldiers in a row to win a pack of candy. But there is this particular ride that we would not miss riding, even up until now, it was called Moon Rocket. Will it take you to the moon? I suppose yeah, well, it depends on how you play with your imagination as the ride goes on. It wasn't how it was supposed to look like a rocket, rather, it's that feeling the ride gives you. To be able to spread your arms wide, scream your lungs out, and laugh like there's no tomorrow, with the right people, at that right time, that nostalgic feeling, surely is over the moon.
So, what now?
Last year, as fiestas were around the corner, we can now freely go to funfairs after years of not being able to do so because of the pandemic. A lot has changed, sure, new normal, as they say, but I did not expect it to be a painful change on my part. Is the merry-go-round gone? Nope, it's still there, mostly accommodating babies with their moms as its customers. How about the tiny soldiers? Oh, they're still there, standing loud and proud, salute to them, I guess.
Nothing seems changed, but there's a difference.
The once-loved Moon Rocket seems to be lost on its way back to the moon, there, sitting by the corner, with no one even taking a glance, almost that feeling----being left out. I don't know why standing there got me to shed a tear, have I mentioned in my intro blog that I still cry over trivial matters that touched my heart? Yes, I did, and so, that scene in front of me pained me.
Still, we went for the ride, not missing the feeling of going to the moon once and for all. I can even recall how the operator was so energetic, beaming with glee when he found out we were about to go for a ride. Sad to think that years before, this ride had a long line of people in waiting but at that moment, it was just us with my siblings and cousins. Are funfairs not fun for everyone now? I did hope they got to have more customers on the next day though.
This scenario made me recall Route 66 in the 2006 Disney movie--Cars. Due to drastic changes, there are those roads we once went to but with time, they would eventually leave our minds. Changes do good and bad in us, well, there are always disadvantages to every advantage, right? But sometimes I just hope we can bring particular memories with us along with those changes that occur in our life, in a way, it balances out life, it humbles us.
Just as much as with being okay with letting the kid in you showed up even if you're already in your 30s or 40s, or whining over not getting your favourite flavor of a drink.
These small matters of adapting to changes in our lives yet still acknowledging our past equate to us choosing humility despite the achievements, status, fame, or, careers we have right now, stay grounded, as the old ones say.
Are you also afraid of changes? Tell me more about it in the comment section.*
I still have a lot to learn in my life, and I always pray that I get to bring with me who I am now in my tomorrow despite the changes that may occur. I hope that I will carry on the values I have cultivated in my present times onto my prime. Adapt to change, yes, but even chameleons go back to their original form after camouflage, I think it is only fair for us to not forget what brought us to conquering transitions in our lives.