Wednesday, August 23, 2023
It was Mark Twain who said that “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” He was being facetious of course, but I say that we can indeed do something about the weather, and we do it all the time. When it’s cold we put on coats. When it rains we cancel our yard sales and picnics. When it’s warm we wear shorts. When there is a hurricane we evacuate. It’s those who do nothing but complain who suffer. If a hurricane comes, and you don’t evacuate, you’re done!
Adaptability is a tool if you feel stuck. If the situation can’t change, allow the situation to change you. Work in tandem with your environment, not against it. Adaptability is a legitimate and reasonable response. You are never without an option. You can change your behavior; change your attitude; or you can learn to live peacefully with what is. You cannot protest your way to success – sometimes letting go is the way forward.
Adaptability is usually the last resort, but I think it’s often the best resort! It’s like a Tahitian resort, where you can let go and just allow things to be. Perhaps if we made adaptability our first resort, we’d save ourselves so much anguish and torture trying to change the weather, in a manner of speaking. Adapting to the environment is a tool for mental sanity. Going with the flow will help you survive longer, and perhaps even thrive in conditions that others would “die” from. If you would stop fighting, stop protesting, and integrate yourself into what you cannot change, the thorns will dissolve if you comply. Perhaps you haven’t thought of the wonderful option of adaptability? It’s one of evolution’s most powerful tools for surviving, maybe even thriving, yet we seem to always think of it last. What a pity.