Change Is Not An Event, It's A Process

Something a little different found its way to me this week.

One of the lovely things about writing We Grow Together has been hearing from people who tell me that something I've shared has prompted a thought, a memory or a reflection of their own.

This week, Mandie sent me one of hers.

She was on holiday in Crete and, while sitting outside on the patio after a day in the sun, she noticed some rather strange little brown bugs on the tree beside her.

On closer inspection, she realised they weren't bugs at all, but empty shells.

A little Googling revealed that they were cicada shells.

Mandie wrote: “I love the exotic sound of the cicada — it really lets you know you're on holiday, or certainly far away from the daily grind of the UK! I found out that baby cicadas, or nymphs, live underground for years, shedding their skin as they grow.

When they are ready for their transformation into a winged adult cicada, they crawl up to a tree, split out of their shell and fly away. The hollow, empty shell is left behind on the tree.”

What made me smile was what happened next.

Mandie took some photographs and said that she couldn't think of anyone who would appreciate receiving a photograph of “dead bug shells”.

And then she thought of me!

I'll take that as a compliment.

But it was what those little empty shells prompted her to think about that made me want to share her story with you.

The cicadas reminded Mandie of the Buddhist teaching of Anicca — impermanence, the understanding that everything is continually changing.

She wrote: “The baby cicada does not cling to its shell out of fear of the unknown, nor does it crave to burst out for something new. It just does. When change is due, change will happen.”

I loved that.

Perhaps we sometimes think of change as the moment when something happens — the decision, the ending, the beginning, the thing we can actually see.

But often the change has been happening quietly for much longer.

And there was another lovely detail in Mandie's story.

When she sat down to write her reflections, she pulled a notebook from her bag that she had carried around for years but never used.

Written on its cover were the words: Change is not an event, it's a process.

It couldn't have been more appropriate.

Mandie also saw something else in those discarded shells — a reminder of what we leave behind.

We all make an impression on the people whose lives we touch, often without ever knowing it. A kind word, a smile, a compliment or a small gesture may matter far more than we realise.

And then there was one final connection that made me chuckle.

Last week I shared details of an event being held by my friend and Feng Shui teacher, Maureen Calamia.

Many years ago, as part of my Feng Shui training, Maureen taught me a ritual known as The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell’.

And now, just a few days after writing about Maureen, Mandie's cicadas have appeared in We Grow Together. I sometimes feel the Universe loves connecting the dots. It is always speaking to us; we just need to be prepared to listen.

It’s been a great reminder that growth isn't always visible while it's happening.

Sometimes we're changing quietly beneath the surface, particularly on a soul level.

And sometimes all that remains is to recognise when we've outgrown the shell we once needed.

Thank you, Mandie, for thinking of me when you found your “dead bug shells” — and for allowing me to share your reflections and photograph here.

Gabrielle

P.S. Maureen's event, which I mentioned last week, is happening tomorrow, Tuesday 8th September. Here’s another link in case you missed it last time. You can register for the free Zoom session here: https://mailchi.mp/ea39f64c214c/mkusrr39ud.

Oh and another note (P.P.S.)

My next Family of Light programme begins in 2 weeks, on Tuesday 22nd September. It runs for 4 weeks on Zoom and offers 4 x 90 minute recorded workshops plus 4 hours of 1-to-1 coaching/mentoring with me. To find out more please visit: https://www.gabrielleanyarafello.co.uk/about-family-of-light. I'm happy to arrange a free discovery call if you'd like to have a chat and see whether it might be a good fit for you.

We Grow Together

Nature • Colour • Creativity • Connection • Personal & Spiritual Growth