Walking through Central Park recently, I became aware of a paradoxical source of comfort: the constancy of change. As the trees lose their leaves and Fall again finds its place in the movement of seasons throughout the year, I began to wonder about the kinds of change that actually bring comfort, compared to the kinds of change that bring the unexpected into our lives. It also got me to thinking about cycles and rhythms, about how nothing remains exactly as it is. And yet, within the inevitability of change, there are rhythms and cycles that become a dependable part of our life experience.

Often, change is a source of anxiety or stress, as we move from the known to the unknown. With the kind of change we’re exploring here, it’s the shift from one familiar moment to another, while acknowledging the constant movement inherent in life. So, it’s an exploration of movement through the reassuring presence of cycles on which we can depend – day to night, season to season, weekend to weekend.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice those paradoxical cycles and rhythms of change that, in themselves, speak of constancy. On a mundane level, notice how it feels as your next dental hygiene appointment rolls around – whether you go once a year, every six months, or every three months. Or, notice what it’s like to do a chore that you encounter each week at the same, or a similar, time. On another scale, notice when the moon is full, or crescent, and the inevitability that when it’s new, it will assuredly become full again – representing, demonstrating, the constant movement of change through your world. What’s it like to feel the familiar reliability of these cycles as they arise in the inescapable change from yesterday to today to tomorrow?

As you play with this experiment, notice what sensations emerge in your body as you connect with reliably-occurring cycles, rhythms, and changes in your world. They are the side of change that promises movement toward something familiar.

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