I usually don’t mind change, but it’s funny the things you miss once they’re gone.
Things like the “boom, boom, boom” of a dump truck at 6:30 a.m.
Or the air brakes of a semi tractor as it slows down outside our front door.
Or the loud buzz of a wood grinder, turning scrap lumber into sawdust.
And those dusty footprints across my kitchen floor, left by a husband or son who’s taken a break from his busy day to get a cool drink of water and say “Hello.”
Over a month ago, we moved our agriculture-related business from the farm to a larger location about 10 miles away. It was a well-calculated move and one I had eagerly anticipated, especially on days when I didn’t want to get up at 6:30 and when I was tired of noise and of cleaning up sawdust.
But now, the quiet is almost deafening.
Like the quiet of a household once teeming with the laughter and music generated by four teen boys, the noise once it’s silenced leaves a vacuum.
Each of our sons worked alongside their dad doing the many tasks required to make and sell animal bedding. This livelihood that has put food on the table and a roof over our heads for most of the past 15 years required all hands on deck as soon as they were able. The boys learned to run machinery, drive heavy equipment, make repairs, deal with customers and bear up under the heat of Indiana summers and the freezing cold of Midwestern winters.
All those things still happen in our small, family-run business, just not here, outside my back door, or with my own young men joining in the work.
I’m adjusting to this change in my environment, and most days I appreciate the quiet, the clean air, the lack of hustle and bustle in our barnyard. I can see that this change has been for the better. Our business — and our sons — are thriving.
But some days, I miss the chaos. All of it.
To make sense of life, I usually turn to scripture or to words of writers who have gone before me. I tracked down a few comments on “change”:
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” British Philosopher Alan Watts
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” British Statesman Winston Churchill
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is awareness.” American Philosopher Nathaniel Branden
And my favorite:
“Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.” American Author Hugh Prather
What is life if not a series of changes, of new days, new beginnings, better plans, more purpose? Living with and accepting change reminds me that there is only one static, constant presence in my life — the love and grace of my Creator. I pretty much count on that.
Yes God is the one constant. I love that promise too. I spent my fair share of time driving tractor for our family farm myself. Funny thing is there are days I sometimes miss it!
Isn’t it crazy? Our youngest was home for a few days and he went out to tinker around in the shop. Never thought I’d see the day!