Frank Sinatra, the legendary “blue eyes,” sang a song in the 1950s that became one of his biggest hits called “That’s Life.” The song delves into the highs and lows of a person’s life, encapsulating it with the simple phrase, “That’s Life.” The challenges and difficulties that come with the ever-changing landscape of one’s life can be more overwhelming for some individuals than others. In this blog post, I aim to shed some light on this topic.

Change. If there is one word that makes me cringe, it is “change.” I have never been a fan of change. In fact, during my 40s, I vividly remember having conversations with my friends where I would exclaim, “People never change.” I firmly believed that while people may act differently on the surface, deep down, they remain the same person. As a result, I did everything in my power to resist change, never truly accepting the fact that I too would have to change. It was simply easier to maintain the status quo. However, I have recently come to realize that this belief can be misguided and inaccurate, and accepting this has been a difficult pill to swallow. This mindset has not only taken a toll on me mentally but also physically, dampening my enthusiasm for writing in this blog. However, that changes now.

Just like the saying goes, “time never stands still,” it is equally true that people truly do change. One can choose to adapt and embrace the ever-changing landscape, striving to become a better person by respecting it, or one can resist and fight against it to the point of self-destruction. For a long time, I fought against change, convincing myself that it was merely a passing phase or something that I could navigate through effortlessly until things returned to normal. However, I have come to realize that this is not the case. Change is an inevitable part of life.

Will I emerge as a better person on the other side? I certainly hope so. One thing I am certain of is that changing one’s way of thinking and behaving becomes increasingly challenging as we grow older. I never imagined that at the age of 62, I would have to adapt the way I communicate and organize my life. I always believed that things would continue to be smooth sailing, as that was the pattern of my life for the most part. I never really embraced the phrase “That’s Life” because I believed that the major ups and downs in life only happened to others, not to me. However, over the past few years, that notion has been proven wrong. Life has truly tested me.

This is still a work in progress that I am navigating on a daily basis. It requires a great deal of reflection and effort to retrain one’s mindset. However, given the high stakes involved, I am confident that embracing these changes will ultimately make me a better person. I cannot recall a time when life has tested me to the core like it has recently. I understand that everyone faces tests at different points in their lives, and my time is now. I firmly believe that I will emerge from this experience as a stronger individual. In the words of Frank Sinatra’s poignant song, “That’s Life,” it is the very nature of life’s ups and downs that will make the good times even more precious.