Summary

The author reflects on the importance of appreciating gradual progress and the beauty of life's small, incremental changes.

Abstract

The article emphasizes that change need not be sudden or drastic; it can be a series of small steps that contribute to personal growth. The author acknowledges the common desire to rush towards future goals and the frustration that can come from perceived lack of progress. However, they argue that each moment has its own beauty and significance, much like the slow transition of seasons. Using the metaphor of a caterpillar's metamorphosis, the author suggests that patience and contentment in the present are crucial, even during challenging times. The piece also touches on the personal journey of raising a child and the bittersweet experience of witnessing their growth and transition into adolescence. The author encourages readers to embrace the journey of life, cherishing each step and the unique moments that define our existence.

Opinions

The author believes that while goals are important, there is intrinsic value in the process of gradual change and the development of new habits over time.
They express that it's normal to feel impatient with personal progress, but it's also essential to find contentment in the present.
The author opines that witnessing the slow transformation of nature and loved ones can be as breathtaking as any sudden change.
They suggest that each phase of life, including the challenging ones, contributes to one's unique identity and should be appreciated.
The author emphasizes the importance of not rushing through life's moments, advocating for mindfulness and presence in the journey from infancy to adulthood.
They conclude with a call to action to work towards change while also taking time to appreciate the baby steps that make up one's life journey.

Change Doesn’t Have to Happen Overnight

Baby steps forward are progress too

Author’s photo of a favorite view close to home, showing signs of the gradual change of seasons

We are all in such a hurry a lot of the time, aren’t we?

We want to move on to the next chapter, to see what the future holds, to do all the things we know we are capable of.

To really live up to our potential, right?

No one wants to be left behind or seen as less than.

I get so mad at myself sometimes. Furious, really, because I feel like I am not making enough progress.

That I have not changed enough from where I started this thing called life.

And change is okay.

Goals and the burning desire to reach them have their place.

But we don’t really have to be in a big hurry, do we?

We don’t have to complete our transformation overnight.

There is beauty in gradual change too, isn’t there? In little steps forward.

In shedding old habits while building new ones, one agonizing step at a time.

It’s okay to not be content with where you are, and it’s okay, beneficial even, to have goals for your future.

But this day.

This step.

This moment, even.

They all hold a beauty unique to them.

I have things I want to accomplish, for sure. I want to know I am moving forward, not allowing myself to become stagnant.

But just like a caterpillar has to be willing to endure some darkness in order to complete its metamorphosis so that the butterfly can emerge, we sometimes have to make sure we find contentment in the now.

Even if now feels dark.

There is a reason this moment exists.

This moment will add to all the others in your life to make you uniquely you.

There is no violent shift from summer into fall where I live, but there is a breathtaking beauty in witnessing the step-by-step process as the green of the trees slowly gives way to the vibrance of the colors for our autumn.

Every morning, as I drive my kiddo to school, I try to make sure I take deliberate notice of the views.

It’s so easy to take them for granted, but I want to make sure moments like these don’t rush past in such a blur that I don’t appreciate the color.

The color of our favorite tree is slowly turning a flaming red, its full branches resplendent in the glory that will soon give way to the bareness it will endure for the winter.

The color of my daughter beside me in the seat as her beauty grows and shifts in her journey out of childhood.

She is twelve years old.

The last year before she will be an official teen.

And I am not ready.

I am not ready to say goodbye to these moments any more than I was ready to say goodbye to little arms wrapped around my neck as I carried her to the bathroom at midnight while we were potty training.

These moments are everything.

The journey is what it’s all about, not the destination.

Soon enough, I will have succeeded in my goal to safely get each of my girls from infancy to adulthood.

I still marvel at the fact that my oldest daughter’s childhood is completely in the rearview mirror. My heart is full of pride and joy and also heavy with the sadness of goodbyes I never wanted to say.

So, today, work toward change, yes.

Don’t allow yourself to become immobile in the fast pace of life.

But stop to appreciate the baby steps that make up your entire life journey.

Sit in them. Take a deep breath and soak them in.

We won’t get these moments ever again.

Peace and love, y’all. ❤

Get an email whenever Melissa Gray publishes.

Get an email whenever Melissa Gray publishes. By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don't already have…

medium.com