Groundhog Day 2015

"Everything changes, nothing remains without change." -- Buddha

Photo by Wotan (Found via Wikipedia)

My life has undergone significant changes over the course of this last year. Some of those changes have been gradual, others have happened in an instant. As a parent, I witness with wonder how quickly my children grow and change; their development mentally, physically, and emotionally happening at an exponential rate. However, rapid change doesn't only occur with children; think of the impact a significant change has had on your mind and body (e.g. loss of a loved one, learning a new skill, meeting a new person, an injury, a move, etc.). One moment you were one person, the next moment you were someone else with an entirely different perspective.

As the years pass and I continue to enjoy my silly little tradition of watching the film Groundhog Day and using it as a catalyst for self-reflection. Last year on Groundhog Day, I had deep thoughts related to metaphorical donuts. Today, while I eat a literal donut, I find myself contemplating how the film remains the same and it is I which continues to change. As Phil repeats living the same day and all else remains constant, he changes within. I've seen this movie too many times to count; some years I even play it on repeat the entire day. That said, each viewing experience seems to bring me something different that I can consider in my life.

That powerful contemplation doesn't come from the unchanged film, but from within as an effect of the life which I have lived since my last viewing. Viewing this film and celebrating a large rodent and its shadow aren't essential to the effect I recognize. Rather, it all comes from within. Life isn't about how much time passes and how little or how much things change, it's how we embrace those changes and value the time we have.

I wonder, with great excitement, what changes will occur between now and the next Groundhog Day. Who will I be when I reflect on these words a year from now? What adventures are in my journey ahead? Today (and each day) I set in motion my future. Today I determine the changes I will create and changes I will undergo as I live this ever-changing life.