![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/butler-and-housekeeper-300x172.jpg\" "\\"Mr.")
I\u2019ve been gearing up for the airing of the third season by re-watching the previous seasons (this time after<\/em> Andreas goes to bed – for the entire night!). During one episode in the first season I was struck by something Mr. Carson said to Mrs. Hughes as she contemplated her own path and how she had changed.\u00a0 He said, \u201clife\u2019s altered you, as it\u2019s altered me.\u00a0 What would be the point of living if we didn\u2019t let life change us?\u201d<\/p>\nEarlier in the episode Lord Grantham and Matthew Crawley were talking together as they walked the grounds and surveyed work being done. Lord Grantham asks Matthew if he had begun to see a future for himself at Downton saying, \u201cthere are absurdities involved as I know well enough.\u201d\u00a0 Matthew responds, \u201c- but possibilities too and I was blind to them.\u00a0 I was determined not to let it change me.\u00a0 That was absurd.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t change, you die.\u201d<\/p>\n
These were, of course, especially poignant conversations as Downton Abbey (along with the rest of the world) would soon be changed forever with the first world war and social upheaval was on the horizon.<\/p>\n
Change has obviously been on my mind – all kinds of change.\u00a0 The way society changes, the way people change, and the way people respond to change they didn\u2019t want.\u00a0 My thoughts have been prompted in part by recent events that have inflamed the nation and, therefore, Facebook. My news feed wall exposed the seemingly irreconcilable divide among the wide array of friends and acquaintances that I have gathered at various points throughout my life. Seeing the huge spectrum of opinions got me wondering once again how tastes, attitudes and even world-views evolve over the course of a lifetime.\u00a0 And it laid bare the huge shifts that have taken place in my own life. My experiences, good and bad, combined with the stories of all kinds of people and all kinds of places have percolated inside me.\u00a0 I have changed.\u00a0 How could I not be changed?<\/p>\n
I used to have this underlying fear that I was just easily influenced, blown this way and that by the prevailing winds. Though that may have been true at certain moments in time, in the grand scheme of things, I no longer believe that to be the case.\u00a0 Over time, skepticism has replaced the envy I had of those who seemed to know where they stood at all times. I have become more comfortable with not<\/em> having all the answers – and with changing my mind.<\/p>\n Why am I baring my wishy-washy soul to you right now? I suppose it\u2019s to sing the praises of change.\u00a0 Some kind of change.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be big or philosophical or life-altering, though it very well might be.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really make New Year\u2019s resolutions, but if I did, one of my resolutions this year might be to throw a little wrench in the works when things get too ingrained, automatic, or stale.<\/p>\n In fact, I have a delightful wrench-in-the-works coming very soon.\u00a0 A new horn is on its way – a very different kind of horn from anything I\u2019ve ever played. Operating in default mode is an easy thing to do at a certain point, and pretty soon, the ears and mind can turn off.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t mind catching that before it goes too far. That is not the only reason (or even the main reason) I\u2019m going to be experimenting with new equipment, but I can hope that it will be a good by-product of trying something new, re-energizing my ears and possibly re-wiring a few hardened neural pathways.<\/p>\n What about the question of staying true to oneself? I don\u2019t believe being true to yourself means never changing.\u00a0 I believe it is more genuine to pause to listen and ask questions when something feels not quite right and being willing to consider a different way.<\/p>\n To finish the earlier conversation between Lord Grantham and Matthew Crawley, after Matthew shared his willingness to be changed by his new circumstances, Lord Grantham responded, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Sometimes I think I hate change.\u201d and Matthew, looking at a structure on the estate being spruced up said, \u201cwell, at least we can comfort ourselves that this will still be here – because we saved it.\u201d<\/p>\n May the willingness to see things anew allow us to save the things most important to us this year. \u00a0Happy Feast of the Epiphany!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, besides being the day that the third season of Downton Abbey airs here in the U.S., is also the Feast of the Epiphany, a.k.a. Three Kings Day, or (most memorable to me) my due date last year.\u00a0 It has … Continue reading