Highs and Lows

Highs and Lows

Highs and lows

There are few guarantees in this world.  Well, really, there are only three.  The first is that we are born.  That one’s pretty obvious.  The second one is that we will die.  Again, pretty obvious.

But the third is something that many people struggle with.  The third is something that people identify as a bad thing.  It is something people regularly say they hate or are not good at.  But the third is totally and completely inevitable.  There is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid it.  Not one little thing.

The third thing that this world guarantees is change.  And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

In this world, in this life, the only constant we really have is change.  Because things change.  Sometimes in ways that we like and sometimes in ways that we don’t like.  And even sometimes in ways that really don’t seem to have much significance in our lives at all.  But regardless of how you feel about specific changes or change in general, it is here to stay.  Change is our life-long companion.  And it is not something you can escape.

And because change is with us for the long haul, there is a something else that we really need to just accept as part of life (assuming you have accepted that the fact that change is inevitable).  You can think about it like it’s change’s best friend, the annoying friend that insists on going everywhere that change goes and doing everything that change does.  And it can be exhausting.

So who is change’s BFF?   We will call this friend Hal.  And Hal stands for “highs and lows”.   Hal has some other nicknames that you may be familiar with.  Some people refer to Hal as Pav (peaks and valleys) and other people call Hal, Eaf (ebbs and flows).  It doesn’t really matter WHAT you call Hal (or Pav or Eaf) because it is constant and its presence will not change.

And where we have change, Hal is right there, jumping into the mix.  Hal loves making waves and loves watching us ride these waves.  And don’t you worry, because you will experience change, and therefore Hal, in ALL areas of your life – In your relationships with others, in your relationship with yourself, in your weight, in your emotional stability, in your motivation, in your energy, in your career, in your tribe, in your favorite shoes.  If you can name it, it will likely change in some way at some point in time.  And Hal will be there right along with it.

So why does Hal have to ALWAYS be there?  Why do things go well and then get hard again?  Why can’t things just be easy all the time?

Think about it like this.   When you get put on heart monitor, it shows peaks and valleys, right?  And when you die, the heart monitor shows a flat line.  Get it, flat line!  Without Hal, without peaks and valleys, without highs and lows, we’d be dead!  Without change, we wouldn’t be moving!  Without change, nothing would change!  We would flatline and we’d be done.  The whole purpose of this life is to learn and grow.  And Hal makes sure that that happens.

So instead of hating change and hating Hal, what would happen if you start to make friends with Hal?  And you talk to Hal in a kind, loving way, thanking him (or her or them) for the gifts that are being offered.  The gifts of growth and possibility.  And remember, our view is best when we are at our peak.  We can see farther ahead and therefore (hopefully) plan for the future.  When you flatline, you only see what’s directly in front of you.

So go ahead and give Hal a great, big hug.  And tell Hal thank you.  Because after all, Hal is simply a part of you and your life. And embracing all parts makes loving the whole WAY easier.  And you, yes YOU deserve to feel loved…by YOU!