Change

Posted by: Britt | June 10, 2008 | 2 Comments |

Our office is in the midst of packing up to move across campus to the Grace Harris Hall. Moving is one of those routine things in my life. In 22 years in the Navy, Linda and I moved 12 times. There is an old Navy saying that three moves is the equivalent of one good fire! And we sure lost some things over the years. But each move also opened an opportunity to rid ourselves of clutter and start afresh. This move from Cabell Hall to Grace Harris Hall is offering the same opportunity, so the trash bin has been filling daily!

Maybe because of all those moves, I do not have a hard time with change. Change happens! It is a normal part of life…and when you stop changing, you stop living. I have been a firm believer that passively letting life hit you is bad – one should be proactive towards change. It is too easy to let change drive you to the belief that you are out of control – or you can look at how change is occurring and proactively take a different direction.

I am trying to practice that not only in my exploring technological applications to education, but in dealing with the many stressors hitting us in “real” life. I live east of Richmond in the country and commute 25 miles daily. My Dodge Magnum is great for hauling stuff, but at 22 MPG, it is inefficient in hauling just me to work and home. So, this weekend, I joined many in purchasing a scooter. Shifting from a 22 MPG car to a 120 MPG scooter is one way to proactively deal with the gas prices – if prices level off or continue rising, the savings will pay for this scooter in one year. And I find the commute in different and enjoyable in ways I never noticed in the car.

Change happens. Embrace it or it will embrace you!

[Photo Credit: Skrewtape, Genuine Scooter]

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… “as good as a holiday” they say. Like your attitude Britt, and it the scooter seems like a great idea. I can imagine riding it will surely give you a different perspective (than the car) as you zip/zoom about.

I’ve just been through a major work change with a previous job role not being written into a new faculty structure. That was hard enough to deal with let along how it was done. But as you say, being proactive and positive can make all the difference and now I’m in a better place. I’ve seen a few people affected by the same event as me and they’ve dealt with it badly. They didn’t see the ‘potential’ change coming and weren’t prepared (not that being prepared is necessary) so didn’t have a plan B. They couldn’t let go and move on. In this day and age of constant change we need to ensure people around us understand that the current environment, technology, curriculum, etc wont last – it’s only for a time. We should expect the ‘time’ to change.

By: Colin on June 10, 2008
at 9:29 am