Hope Boulevard by J. Hope Suis

So apparently I have social anxiety. Which was a bit of a surprise to me actually. Because I genuinely like people. Not that those with social anxiety don't, but again, I was pretty inaccurate about my understanding of the condition.  I have sung an original song on the piano in church. (Many, many years ago mind you.) But someone with social anxiety wouldn't do that, right?  I have taught classes. (Same concept).  I have spoken in front of people at book signings. (Not that many of these either.) But, again, that doesn't sound like social anxiety.  Yet my therapist told me this week she thinks I have it.  Ok, yes. I have a therapist. That's not exactly something I want to shout from the rooftops, and yet still here I am shouting it from my Chromebook. Why? Because it's OK to not be OK sometimes.  A fresh perspective is good. Meaningful insight. A nurse practitioner for the mind/emotions so to say.  Anyway, I got off topic. If you are surprised or disappointed that

We are creatures of habits - even the bad ones.  We want our coffee fixed the right way, no detours, our favorite jeans to always fit, the same parking spot at work, or pew in church. (I've never seen someone lose their religion quicker than when their seat is taken by someone else.) And don't get me started when there is no Duke's mayo on the grocery store shelf.  We don't like it when something or someone comes along and disrupts our carefully planned life. Yet it happens ALL the time.  Change is quite ironically the one constant in life.  Seasons change. Nature transforms. People come and go in our lives. Even the time changes. (Although the sun and moon don't actually do anything different, as humans we just like to try and control things.)  And that's the root of the problem. We think if we try hard enough, we can stop the change.  The key is not to stop it, but to learn to embrace it. (On a side note, did you realize that CHANGE and CHANCE or only separate