I’ve changed

And it’s brought me back to life

It’s Easter weekend, which is my favourite time of year. We have chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and a couple of bonus days off work. Flowers are blooming, trees are blossoming and, at the time of writing (I really hope I don’t jinx it), the sun is shining. 

Not everyone enjoys summer, and many of us dislike winter, but it’s hard to complain about the British springtime. April showers aside, this is the season of fluffy bunnies, newborn lambs, warmer days and lighter evenings. I spend January and February looking forward to this seasonal shift, when I can put away my winter coat, turn off the heating and open the window next to my desk. Every single year it feels like a wonderful surprise. 

It doesn’t matter how you’ve spent Easter – at church, in your garden, in the pub, or on your sofa cracking open a chocolate egg – it all amounts to the same thing. You don’t have to be religious (I’m not) to understand that this time of year is all about celebrating new beginnings: renewal, rebirth and resurrection. That’s what makes it special because, for the rest of the year, most of us – me included – do everything we can to avoid change in favour of keeping things exactly the way they are. 

For the last couple of years, I’ve found myself craving stability, security and solidity in a way that I never have before. I know why I feel this way: almost everything in my life has changed, my head is spinning, and I’d really like things to settle down for a while. At the start of this year, I told a friend that I was hoping for a dull and uneventful 12 months where nothing much happened. They laughed and said I’d soon get bored, but I insisted that I wouldn’t. But, less than four months into 2025, I’m beginning to wonder if they were right. 

Perhaps by surviving so much change, I’ve learned how to thrive on it. 

Comfort is very seductive. It’s why we struggle to get out of bed in the morning. It’s the reason we stay in an unfulfilling job or a relationship that has run its course. It’s why it’s so hard to eat just one delicious biscuit. On some level we understand that it’s not a good idea to surrender to comfort, which is why ‘comfortable shoes’ and ‘elasticated slacks’ are fashion shorthand for someone who has given up trying. But, equally, we have cashmere jumpers, hot buttered toast and sheepskin slippers to remind us of all the good things it has to offer.  

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with comfort: I’m a huge fan. But, the trouble is, it can easily become a trap – and it’s a trap from which it’s impossible to escape without sacrificing something you value. Change comes at a cost and, as a result, many of us decide to stay put, stop moving forward, and settle for what we have, rather than striving for something better. 

In my experience, our resistance to change gets more entrenched as we get older. We grow accustomed to having things exactly the way we like them, and get out of the habit of compromising or considering other perspectives. I don’t think anyone aspires to be the person who is ‘stuck in their ways’ but, in truth, many of us are. 

Change is scary. 

But, this weekend is a good time to remember that it’s also exciting, revitalising – and inevitable.