Change.
There are many types of change. Change for the sake of change. Spare change. The change when you lose a loved one. Lane changes. Change of clothes. The change from winter to spring.
We all have our own threshold for change and what we can manage. Some will stay in the same lane on the highway for fear of changing lanes and hitting another car. Others drive like they’re in a high-speed chase.
“Why the change!?” is a refrain often heard from people who are curious and/or change-averse.
The “grass isn’t always greener” is a way for someone who is change resistant to rationalize why they decided to stay in their same lane. Meanwhile, some aren’t concerned with the colour of the grass as much as they’re concerned that it is at least a different colour.
Perhaps this is all part of what makes us unique humans.
I have a theory that to some extent, our ability to change or accept change is genetic. My family has rented the same cottage on Lake Nipissing since the 1960s. Aside from a few years where we had to go to Powassan or similar, we were on that same beach. Meanwhile, others would have tried a different place every single year.
The same home from 1963 to 2010? Absolutely. My Dad even had the same model of Buick four cars in a row. Change cars? Why? Don’t even get me started on my Dad’s Cincinnati Reds sweatshirt.
If my family decided to jump ship and rent a cottage in Sundridge instead, would the Nipissing cottage owners be confused? Probably. Concerned they did something wrong? Quite likely. But also, is it possible that my parents just wanted to try something new? Also, likely.
The reality is the significance or impact of the change varies depending on who you ask. And that significance can be what makes change a spectator sport which only adds to the complexity of the situation.
The main thing to remember is that if my parents were to change their cottage destination, it doesn’t mean the previous place wasn’t great or comfortable. Perhaps they just needed a different view.