Sea Change
The dictionary describes a "sea change" as a transformation, a change so remarkable that it's
seemingly magical.  I thought of the phrase as I was putting this week's Journal page together on
my new web page editor.  The change from the old to the new does seem just a little magical.
I resisted switching to a new editor for a long time, even though the old one was no longer
functioning effectively and caused many frustrations.  I called it names, kicked the hard drive and
took copious amounts of aspirin for the headaches it gave me every Friday.
The new editor is amazingly user-friendly.  Everything was figured out in minutes.  I can't
tell you what a relief it is to work with such an efficient and easy-to-navigate editor.  
There's a life lesson in here somewhere and I think Thomas Edison summed it up nicely
once in a commencement speech.  He said, "Be courageous!  Have faith!  Go forward!"
But I stubbornly persevered.  What's the old saying about the devil you know?  It was certainly
an irritating devil, but it was mine, and it was firmly established in my comfort zone.  Recently,
however, the decision was made for me, as my web host decided to retire the editor I'd been
using.  So, with trepidation about the length of time it would take to learn a new program, I sat
down at the computer - fortified with a cup of tea and two preventative aspirin - to wade through
what I was sure would be a tedious, exasperating experience.
I was so wrong.
I should have consulted Mr. Edison a long time ago.
With one exception, the photographs on this page are from three regions in Italy:
Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria.
Most of us are about as eager for change as we were to be born - and go
through our changes in a similar state of shock.  -- James Baldwin
Change is the only constant.  -- Warren Zevon
Never stop learning and adapting.  The world will always be changing.  If you limit yourself to
what you are comfortable with, you will grow increasingly frustrated with your surroundings.
-- David Niven
Humans are allergic to change.  They love to say, "I've always done it this way."  I
try to fight that.  That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.
-- Grace Hopper
Greet each day with your eyes open to beauty and your mind open to change.
-- Paul Finn
If we can recognize that change is a basic principle of life, we can greet the transformation
we are undergoing with the understanding that we don't know enough to be pessimistic.
-- Hazel Henderson
Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have and
underestimate the value of what they may gain.  -- Belasco & Stayer
Very wise words found tacked to a telephone pole in New Orleans, LA.
Please don't use the "Send Page" feature of your computer to send this entire page in an
e-mail message, document or pdf format.  This distorts the layout and separates the page
from its source.  If you'd like to share it, please just send the link.  The link to this page is:
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Sea_Change.html
Tell a friend:
-- Nancy