Even maggots learn to fly

Earlier this year I went fishing with a friend that insisted on using night crawlers because that is all he has ever used. Having fished with anything from kernels of corn to stink bait I knew a trick or three so I suggested we find wax worms for our next fishing adventure. He bought me a bag of rubber worms and said "Well, they're not wax but I think this might work the same." I couldn't help but laugh at this seasoned fishing pro. We found a local shop that sold wax worms, I explained the differences and we headed out to land the biggest fish in Horsetail lake. Well, I ended up only catching frogs but the experience taught me a great deal about life.

Wax worms are funny little hairless things that resemble maggots and undergo metamorphosis, thus turning into small annoying moths. They're no longer than a thumbnail and are light yellowish tan. Right before they change they begin to get darker in color and are virtually useless for fishing. The change happens so quickly that you may buy a small cup of wax worms but get to the lake with half a dozen moths wiggling their winged way through the wood chips they're packed in.

Change in life can be just as sudden and we may find ourselves banking on the consistency of familiarity in what we have grown accustomed to for so long that the changes sweep us off our feet. These changes have the power to rip apart our lives if we let them but we also have the choice to let them take place and utilize them for the wisdom we gain  as much as the experience they bring.

Sometimes we see loss as bad luck and allow that to stomp us out before we even light our fuse. When we wake every morning, suck in that first big breath and step outside the front door to greet the day we take great risks that come with the rewards and failures only true effort brings. Instead of acting foolish we must make educated decisions so the risks are worth the end results. Even when we cannot truly know the outcome of our choices we must have faith and trust our judgment for without true faith in ourselves what more can the world see in us?

When we give of ourselves we lose bits and pieces of what make us who and what we are but what we gain is far greater. We shed the skin of old thought to grow into the undercoat of new experience and knowledge. We must be cautious to hold onto the essentials in life lest we find ourselves poor in spirit and pocketbook as well. Know where to spend the most important resources you have before you make investments that will bring you no yield.

When we try to accept that this world is ever changing around us we may be adamant to letting go of old ways of life. Traditions evolve into something we are unfamiliar with but we have so much to learn in accepting the beauty of new ideas for what they are. Every step forward is progress, no matter how small the step. All that is meant to be will find  a way. We must be patient in our desire for understanding for truly meaningful change does not happen over night. Life is like a Chia pet, not the play-doh hair styler.

Without change life becomes far too routine and boring. Ideas fester and stagnate and when people become bored with life they make rash decisions. Instead of striking out at life for being th way it is, lose the baggage of mediocrity at the airport during your voyage through life and wing it. Live every day with the thought that you will learn something new and find beauty no matter how ugly you may feel, both inside and out. There is beauty everywhere and it evolves just as we do.

We must never lose hope that there is a life beyond the death of the traditional thoughts of past generations. Our grandparents may tell us stories of how we have it too easy but they do not know our struggles because they are so set in their ways. When they had to walk in the snow uphill and downhill life was much simpler and struggles were still struggles, no matter how small they may seem to us today. In a world where we fight to stay up to date on current technology and the rising costs to keep up with the Joneses we may never know snow up to our ears but we do know society can bare on us just the same. Everyone struggles.

Do not resist the world of change because it won't stop just because we're not ready. IF we stop on the tracks of life the train of change will not only crush us flat but leave us behind as well. Even if you cautiously clutch the rails of the caboose you're going along for the ride. Don't be left in the dust of societal transformation. When we all get together and work towards the common good of positive progress we move at a much steadier pace we can all keep up with.