Board Reflections: Change

I don’t like change. At least not change just for change’s sake. I have my routines. My wardrobe and diet are fairly limited. I’ve lived in the same house for 36 years and dread the thought of downsizing. However I wholeheartedly embrace change if I know it will make my life better. It was a huge change for me when I went from being a Lutheran Pastor to becoming a UU, but in my heart I knew that I needed to find a more progressive spiritual community. I haven’t regretted the change for one moment.

The sports world recently saw the passing of the legendary Dick Fosbury who invented the “Fosbury Flop” high jump technique. Fosbury was frustrated by his progress in the traditional high jump method off running parallel to the bar and then using a straddle kick to leap. So he experimented and eventually jumped at an angle, leaping backwards and bending himself into the shape of the letter J as he catapulted.. The track and field world thought he was nuts but he won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics and soon everyone was imitating his technique which has been the standard method ever since.

Major League baseball players are adjusting to the new rule changes of a pitch clock, no infield shifts and bigger bases this year during spring training. It’s the biggest change in the sport in more than a half century but I’m confident it will make for a more exciting game. Even if, like me, you aren’t too keen on making changes in your life spend some time reflecting on how you can make changes that actually improve the quality of your life and then embrace them.

Submitted by Steve Jones