People say "nothing is permanent". But only when a habit disappears, a relationship changes, or our own body is no longer the same as before, do we understand it. And the hardest thing is not the change, but the way we face it.
Acceptance is a word easily misunderstood. Many people mistake acceptance for endurance, gritting their teeth and staying in a job that is exhausting, in a relationship that has run out of common language, or in a version of ourselves that we no longer recognize. Endurance often comes with tired silence, with a feeling of being stuck. Acceptance, if understood correctly, is a sob act. It is the admission that this exists, that we cannot turn back time, but we still have the right to choose how to move on.
There are changes that force us to let go. Let go of a plan you once pursued and then everything will be okay as you want. Letting go is sometimes the only way not to be dragged down by what is no longer appropriate. Constantity, if any, lies only in the fact that everything will change.
But accepting does not mean standing still. When we accept that a door has closed, the next question is "what will I do with this reality?". Here, accepting opens up the possibility of finding new solutions. It could be learning a different skill, changing a different path, or simply changing the perspective. Not every solution immediately yields results, but proactively seeking is already proactively accepting life as it is.
Life rarely gives us immediate clarity. Many changes only show their meaning when we have gone far enough to look back. When we are still in a vortex, we only feel insecure and lost. But it is these times of being forced to adapt that silently train us in flexibility, a kind of survival ability in a constantly changing world...
Three days later, he returned to the old street corner, stood in front of the vending machine and put in money, pressed the button to get a bottle of energy drink, and then continued. Life does not promise stability, but it always leaves one thing open. If we are sober enough to accept and brave enough not to just endure, we can always find another way to continue.
