You mean I have to re-adjust again?

Some transitions are gradual. They give you time to adjust slowly. Others give you a hard lash on your rear end when you’re busy doing things the way you’ve grown accustomed to. Those transitions jolt you into sudden change. You can never prepare for them. The sting of the initial blow stays with you for a long time but you also keep re-living the sharpness of the blow itself.

I’ve experienced both types of transitions, personally and professionally in the past few months and the pain of re-adjusting is real. But because of it I’m learning the value of patience and of wonder. I may have my plans, and work diligently to realise them but I have to accept the truth that change will happen in spite of me.

How do you manage sudden transitions?

So now I’m struck by the wonder of the smallest things and I’m finally learning that abundance is a choice to experience things and people and places fully. To stop and to listen, to look, to see, to be open. To accept that there’s something to be learned from every change. I’m learning this. I’m not a master of it...yet.

But the more I learn, the more I’m determined to practise being patient and staying in wonder because I feel the difference in how I manage the new and bigger challenges and transitions that have come my way. It’s different. It’s better.

What in the world is happening?

What is the real state of the world right now?

We have no shortage of news and information sources. Simultaneously, fake news abounds. So how is it possible to know the truth about the world that we live in right now?

Without a doubt we have to question things more. If you say I’m advocating skepticism, let me tell you, in an age where likes, views, impressions and buzz are valid measuring sticks, a fair bit of skepticism is a necessity.

Photo: Andrey Popov

I’m skeptical about Whatsapp videos that have been forwarded from sources I’m not familiar with. I have a ton of questions for people who start a conversation with “ I know for a fact…”. And I probe for more information when people say to me, “ I heard that…”.

I want to know where the information or the message comes from, who said it first, when did they say it, based on what, where was it said, who was there. I’m searching for truth because I know it’s hard to come by.

That in itself says a lot that’s not so good about the state of the world right now. The search for truth is a valid daily mission.

My dream world? Little to nothing goes to waste.

The world I’ve always wanted to live in looks something like this. A world where there is minimal waste. One where we value things for a myriad of uses and not just buy things; where we realise that profit and positive impact can find a happier co-existence. That’s my world.

Anyone remember “hand me downs”? If you don’t or you’ve never been on the receiving end of one here’s how it goes.

Say you’re the middle girl of three, your elder sibling has “grown out of'' her lovely yellow dress and since it can probably now fit you then it’s now yours. You get to wear it until it no longer fits and is probably more suitable for your younger sister.

Of course during this time the dress is kept in pristine condition with care and attention during washes, minor alterations for each child and maybe even a re-dying to return the colour to its former glory.

Meanwhile, when that dress and others become unwearable by any of the children, the fabric can always be used to make a quilt or some other item that will be useful in the home. Nothing, or very little, goes to waste. [Don’t get me wrong I know many children didn’t enjoy this but there are ways to “amp up” a hand me down 😜]

That’s pretty much the concept of the circular economy. Nothing, or very little, goes to waste.

Remember, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”? Simple right? Well, maybe not so much in our current world where there’s an item for everything.

But here’s what we can do. We can buy with multiple uses in mind. Think, “when this item can no longer fulfil the purpose I’m buying it for now, what else can it do, how else can it be used?”

I’m curious, is this something you already do? Have you seen the circular economy operate in your personal life? Are you open to buying in a way that ensures that little or nothing goes to waste? Or is that too much to think about? I’d love to hear your views.

If you want to read more about the more technical aspects of the circular economy start here or here.