I rewatched My Octopus Teacher with my husband who is in the more advanced phase of Alzheimer’s while still able to engage with emotions and wonderment. We sit together at the kitchen table looking into the intimate screen of my iPad. At one point we witnessed the befriended Octopus in the astonishing act of joyful play amongst a ribbon of darting yellow fishes. At another moment we see the Octopus lying upon the chest of her human companion. Your post today speaks to me of the experience of bearing witness to the miracle of change as a true element in all of creation. Thank you!
I really enjoyed your post, Jesse, and especially all the benefits of change you mentioned. I loved reading all the quotes. Several stood out, but the one that resonates most at the moment is, “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell . Thanks for sharing all this!
I’m posting very late, but wanted to let you know how particularly rich and powerful this post was. I’m saving it to turn to now and again for a reminder to be open-minded and flexible when life (as it so often does) renders those traits necessary.:-)
Hello Jesse. I liked yoir thoughts . 24 years ago I got myself a tatoo of the I Ging nr. 49, "Ko"/"Go". It is translated often as circulation, moulting or revolution and means that change is inevitable and if we resist, it will hurt. But if we accept the new situation it will turn out as an improvement. And "everything will be alright, even if we cannot imagine at the moment". I try to remember this every day.
Love these quotes and tunes, Jesse. That Herman Hesse quote: really stands out to me "Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go.” It flips the conventional thinking around. Thanks for sharing.
Omg! Thank you Jessie. Just been talking with a dear friend about just this and the need to accept change, stop running, be the change etc. the songs you’ve shared are awesome and I’m going to make them into a playlist.
Whatever the context, change is constant - whether we're aware or not. Your choice of quotes and music make this post something akin to a meditation on change. As an October child, autumn has always been an energetic, positive and thoughtful season for me. This year I'll turn 76 and the changes that are most noticeable ( the larger world aside for the moment) are associated with the physical aspects of aging. As a dancer for over 30 of those years, I put my body thru a lot. Now all the "itis"
conditions reside in every joint. Work still has to be done, though it has become harder to do the physical labor required to keep up our 7 acres. What used to take a day now has to be done in stages.
We adjust accordingly. Acceptance of reality is a workout due to my often-stubborn resistance to
change. But change comes, accepted or not. Every day I make a little headway when that realization dawns. Your post is a reaffirmation as well as a meditation. Thanks, Jesse.
I was watching a documentary about Fred Rogers last night, and at one point, he was sitting at a piano, talking about the concept of modulation in music, and how that helps him conceptualize dealing with change in life--in modulation, some notes are the same, and some are different. I find that comforting.
I have been thinking about change lately, having turned fifty earlier this year. I find myself really wanting to be clear about what I want and what I do not want; the word/concept "discernment" has been an important one. It's interesting to see how my own tastes and desires have changed, and it's important for me to stop and ask myself if I'm doing something because it actually appeals now, or if it's something that I used to do but no longer want to. An example: I love music, and I used to love going to big arena shows. I still love music (and have begun making my own!), but now I only want to go to concerts that are small enough for me to see the guitar players' hands (and not on a screen). To not have the joy of the concert wrecked by the stress of traffic afterward.
What great timing, Jesse! I was laid off from my job in climate tech just a couple of weeks ago. I was restless for a change of my specific situation but muddling about trying to find something new. And then, a forced change happened. I've spent the last couple of weeks just sitting with the uncertainty - not fretting about the situation but really thinking about what can come next. Working on climate change is too important to walk away from, but there are so many possibilities. Thanks for this, it really resonates!
Ah the challenge of deciding what to write about on Substack:) I just posted about being a 'misfit' as that is something I am most familiar with. The thing with being a misfit is that it really is not something you can change BUT you can change the way you feel about it., and there is the essence of change. More often than not it is an unavoidable part of life. Sometimes it is exhilarating, sometimes it is uncomfortable. In the inevitable moments of change we must find strength in the human ability to adapt and survive.
Right this very moment I am facing the change of returning to my own apartment after enjoying the luxury of my friends place in her absence. It has been three weeks and I would love it if this was my world, but it is not, so I must accept (reluctantly) the change.
As Jalal al-Din Rumi said...
"Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Change can be wonderful and we must celebrate it when it is and, when it is tough we must find the courage to face it and triumph through acceptance and adaptation.
Thank you SO much for this, Jesse!, not only regarding me dealing with my own changes in life, but I also saw my daughter in her late 20’s and all the changing uncertainties she’s dealing with in her life right now! So I forwarded this to her and SHE’S so grateful to you too now!!! 🩷 Rosemarie Tishelman, NYC
I rewatched My Octopus Teacher with my husband who is in the more advanced phase of Alzheimer’s while still able to engage with emotions and wonderment. We sit together at the kitchen table looking into the intimate screen of my iPad. At one point we witnessed the befriended Octopus in the astonishing act of joyful play amongst a ribbon of darting yellow fishes. At another moment we see the Octopus lying upon the chest of her human companion. Your post today speaks to me of the experience of bearing witness to the miracle of change as a true element in all of creation. Thank you!
I really enjoyed your post, Jesse, and especially all the benefits of change you mentioned. I loved reading all the quotes. Several stood out, but the one that resonates most at the moment is, “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell . Thanks for sharing all this!
I’m posting very late, but wanted to let you know how particularly rich and powerful this post was. I’m saving it to turn to now and again for a reminder to be open-minded and flexible when life (as it so often does) renders those traits necessary.:-)
Needed this today--thanks for the beautiful quotes and music Jesse!
Hello Jesse. I liked yoir thoughts . 24 years ago I got myself a tatoo of the I Ging nr. 49, "Ko"/"Go". It is translated often as circulation, moulting or revolution and means that change is inevitable and if we resist, it will hurt. But if we accept the new situation it will turn out as an improvement. And "everything will be alright, even if we cannot imagine at the moment". I try to remember this every day.
That one drops like a pebble in a pond, ripples made of words & sounds - Generous Jesse, it celebrates life itself- Thank you for sharing
Love these quotes and tunes, Jesse. That Herman Hesse quote: really stands out to me "Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go.” It flips the conventional thinking around. Thanks for sharing.
Omg! Thank you Jessie. Just been talking with a dear friend about just this and the need to accept change, stop running, be the change etc. the songs you’ve shared are awesome and I’m going to make them into a playlist.
Whatever the context, change is constant - whether we're aware or not. Your choice of quotes and music make this post something akin to a meditation on change. As an October child, autumn has always been an energetic, positive and thoughtful season for me. This year I'll turn 76 and the changes that are most noticeable ( the larger world aside for the moment) are associated with the physical aspects of aging. As a dancer for over 30 of those years, I put my body thru a lot. Now all the "itis"
conditions reside in every joint. Work still has to be done, though it has become harder to do the physical labor required to keep up our 7 acres. What used to take a day now has to be done in stages.
We adjust accordingly. Acceptance of reality is a workout due to my often-stubborn resistance to
change. But change comes, accepted or not. Every day I make a little headway when that realization dawns. Your post is a reaffirmation as well as a meditation. Thanks, Jesse.
Very nice collection of thoughts here. So vital to now and us. Thank you Jesse. Love the picture of you in garden. What about this change…
I was watching a documentary about Fred Rogers last night, and at one point, he was sitting at a piano, talking about the concept of modulation in music, and how that helps him conceptualize dealing with change in life--in modulation, some notes are the same, and some are different. I find that comforting.
I have been thinking about change lately, having turned fifty earlier this year. I find myself really wanting to be clear about what I want and what I do not want; the word/concept "discernment" has been an important one. It's interesting to see how my own tastes and desires have changed, and it's important for me to stop and ask myself if I'm doing something because it actually appeals now, or if it's something that I used to do but no longer want to. An example: I love music, and I used to love going to big arena shows. I still love music (and have begun making my own!), but now I only want to go to concerts that are small enough for me to see the guitar players' hands (and not on a screen). To not have the joy of the concert wrecked by the stress of traffic afterward.
What great timing, Jesse! I was laid off from my job in climate tech just a couple of weeks ago. I was restless for a change of my specific situation but muddling about trying to find something new. And then, a forced change happened. I've spent the last couple of weeks just sitting with the uncertainty - not fretting about the situation but really thinking about what can come next. Working on climate change is too important to walk away from, but there are so many possibilities. Thanks for this, it really resonates!
Ah the challenge of deciding what to write about on Substack:) I just posted about being a 'misfit' as that is something I am most familiar with. The thing with being a misfit is that it really is not something you can change BUT you can change the way you feel about it., and there is the essence of change. More often than not it is an unavoidable part of life. Sometimes it is exhilarating, sometimes it is uncomfortable. In the inevitable moments of change we must find strength in the human ability to adapt and survive.
Right this very moment I am facing the change of returning to my own apartment after enjoying the luxury of my friends place in her absence. It has been three weeks and I would love it if this was my world, but it is not, so I must accept (reluctantly) the change.
As Jalal al-Din Rumi said...
"Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Change can be wonderful and we must celebrate it when it is and, when it is tough we must find the courage to face it and triumph through acceptance and adaptation.
Thank you SO much for this, Jesse!, not only regarding me dealing with my own changes in life, but I also saw my daughter in her late 20’s and all the changing uncertainties she’s dealing with in her life right now! So I forwarded this to her and SHE’S so grateful to you too now!!! 🩷 Rosemarie Tishelman, NYC
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose!
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