Changes

As this presidential campaign winds down, I have been thinking about change.

Both campaigns have been talking about change, what they want to change. The one thing I have come to believe in my sixty-two years is that Presidents rarely bring about change. Change most often comes to Presidents in ways unlooked for, unexpected, without reference to their priorities, philosophies, or campaign promises. Look at poor old George W. 9/11 changed everything for his Presidency.

As we look ahead, I wonder what changes will come that we are not prepared for.

In my own life, the huge changes that set me on the paths I have followed were not the ones I prepared for or anticipated. The death of my first wife, and the horrific accident that put my daughter into a four month coma are the two greatest changes I've had to deal with. Both were life changing events in which I had no choice but to deal with them. When they happened, every other facet of my life was affected. No matter what my wishes, I had to deal with them, often to the exclusion of what I had thought was important, a priority and necessary.

This is real change. Not the plans we make, but events that stop us in our tracks and demand our full attention. This is when we find out what our real values are, what our real strengths are and what our weakness are.