The Change Maze

"Come with me through a maze... now this maze is made entirely of bounce house cushion, padded with helium....fortunately, there's enough room so that you don't feel too claustrophobic....you have to walk alone though, there isn't enough room for someone to walk beside you. I mean, besides me, I’ll be there, walking ahead of you. It won't be too bad, you've done this before, you do it all of the time, in fact. This maze is change. We don’t entirely know WHAT kind of change, for better or for worse, but we’ve got to do it and it’ll be fun!! I know, you don't like change, but hey, hey! Don't look down, eyes on me! You can do it! Just take small steps. Ok, you're doing great. I'm glad you're wearing your tennis shoes. That was a smart choice! Oh, and you're even wearing band aids JUST in case you still get blisters. You've learned so much from the change mazes you've already gone through! I'm so proud of you. Do you have water? Ok great. What about good music and a phone to reach out to friends? Yes? Great. And bug spray? Mosquitos tend to like it in here; it's humid. Great, let's go! Ok, ok, I'm really excited for you to turn this corner, this is a really fun part! You can spread out and jump as much as you'd like! And it's AIR CONDITIONED!!

Ok, so we need to move on now, but it was great to see you so happy! Alright, come this way, this promises to be a good change as well, it looks really promising! Oof! Gosh, I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean for you to run into that wall....is your nose ok? Oof this wall's hard, I'm not sure what it's made of but I'm really sorry you had to run into that. Drink some water. Oh and you even brought Kleenex! I'm really impressed! You'll be ok, do you need to sit? No? You're sure.... Ok, well let's keep going! *Smack* Sorry, there was a mosquito on your arm. Woah, I don’t know who that was, I didn’t think there was anyone else in this maze with us, I’m sure they’re harmless! Now let’s see, I’m not quite sure…let’s try going this way! I think this… hmm wait no, let’s turn left instead. Ah, I hear music, how pleasant! Oh gosh darn, apologies, this is a dead end. I could have sworn… never mind! We’ll just keep on trucking, won’t we! Sorry, am I being too cheerful? People tell me I’m too cheerful. I’ll be less cheerful. Oh my, your heel is bleeding, do you have any more band aids? No? Maybe try going barefoot. Darn! There aren’t supposed to nails in here? How did that get in here? I’m so sorry! Here, why don’t you wrap your foot up with my jacket? There, that’ll work! What's that you ask? When does this maze end? I'm not sure, this is actually a really long one, best to not think too far ahead. Think one step at a time...You say you'd like a scooter?..... I'm not sure what to do about that, just keep going!"

This analogy is for all of us who are facing uncertainty and change right now. (Which is all of us at the moment, with some having cases that are more complicated than others.) Take care of each other. If you feel like you're walking the journey alone, bring that phone along so that you can at least hear the voices that you love. Remember to drink water. Take little bits of journey at a time! Just keep going. And wear good shoes.