the reality in front of me

As we drive down the highway, scattered raindrops begin to hit the windshield. Yet we are lost in conversation, completely unaware.

The words that fill the air hold more weight than all of the details around us. The sound of rushing cars, the city street lights reflecting off every surface, the subtle hum of music in the background. All beautiful details and yet, right now they are unnoticed.

A weak smile forces itself into the reality that is in front of me. You would think by now I would be used to this; accustom to how it all goes. But the reality is that change is inconvenient. It is unwelcome because we are afraid of the unknown.

We are creatures of habit. We find comfort in regularity and routine, simply because we know what to expect.

It’s the small amount of comfort that our morning cup of coffee can bring, its the regular drive to and from our daily destinations, and in the faces and people that we are surrounded with everyday. Somewhere within it all there is is meaning. While me might even despise the monotony of it all, there still lies comfort in knowing that it is all constant and assured. 

In a world of constant change, we tend to reach out in hope to grasp anything that is definite and unfaltering. Therefore we tend to find comfort in routine and regularity, because as far as we can tell, it is one of the few things around us that is unvarying. 

Yet, when something out of the ordinary comes along and forces us to dig deep, it all suddenly becomes jarring. In a moment, all comfort and familiarity are gone and we are not quite sure what to do next.

The veracity of change, unfortunately, is that it is unavoidable.

The curious thing, however, is that in our everyday lives we experience change all the time. Yet  these small instances never seem to be quite as jarring or unsettling.

Perhaps it is not so much the change that we fear, but the fact that through it we loose our grip on familiarity and comfort.

Perhaps this is it more than anything . . .