The awesome skill of adjusting

As Jane sat in front of a bay window overlooking a beautiful view of the outdoors, her mind was drawn toward how one must adjust, constantly, to something, in life.

The landscape that sprawled in front of her stretched far and wide. The countryside lay undisturbed, begging for someone to love its beauty, yet to refrain from interfering with its serenity. Onlookers were invited to look, but not touch. It gave the impression of royalty.

Jane had reared three children and tried to spend time at the homes of all three. Her son, Ralph, owned the property on which she was visiting now. His lifestyle was oriented toward the country rural type. When Jane visited each child she attempted to fit in with their existence. The children had to get used to her, as well, she thought. All parties had to get used to the different atmosphere, both as a host and as a guest Most people perform the same sort of balancing act. To fit yourself in when it's necessary, requires both desire and expertise if the time together is to be successful.

Jane's other son and her daughter live in yet two other states. Her son Jamie's setup is oriented toward a suburban way of life. He likes social networking and enjoys more of the recreational pursuits. When Jane visits Jamie she assumes another role in fitting in with his type of life, but she changes directions and tries to add pleasure while she's at their home participating in their family activities. In turn, Jamie and wife, Amy, attempt to make sure that Jane is treated special for her whole visit. The couple must adjust to her being there.

Jane's daughter, Lisa, lives close by to Jane, and Lisa assumes a still dissimilar way of life. She lives in a beautiful mobile home in an upscale community. Lisa and her husband, Jack, are very busy attempting to make a living, putting in many hours at work. Each parent is working with hobbies, interacting with friends, and they delight in spending time at their home with their grandchild. When Jane visits with Lisa, she must interact in still another way maintained by their distinct living habits. Jane loves all three, so adjusting is not a chore for her. Nevertheless, it take an amount of skill to make all the ends connect.

We all simply need to ponder the magnificence of the human mechanism and give ourselves credit for the skill it takes. The human body is a fantastic machine that changes to meet life's demands.

As I listened to Jane's story about how she interacted and adjusted, I felt a kinship with her story. Jane evidently had a way to satisfy normal expectations of communication, habits and personalities in life. Most people experience the same challenges and everyone has to change somewhat to meet the demands of his surroundings. As I thought about the situations that Jane verbalized, my mind turned to the miraculous way that most individuals learn how to do what they have to do. God fit all the parts together. Palms 139:14 says "I will praise thee, therefore I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works." What a skill it is to be able to shift from one thing to another, yet, we seldom recognize the wonder of it all.

I am presently sitting on a beautiful patio at a son's home being mesmerized by the sound of the bubbling pool in front of me. I know that in a few day's I will be boarding a plane heading back home. This, too, will be an adjustment -- leaving my recent experiences behind and stretching forth to return to my former surroundings. This continuous evolvement is beneficial to me because it forces me to realize that my life is never static but it is like a kaleidoscope. The patterns and colors are symbols of growth and change, and the Symmetry of the patterns symbolize balance and harmony. All are necessary so that we may adjust to what we must.

When we learn to adjust we become unafraid of failure. If we fail, we know that failure is a step toward improvement, and we realize the awesomeness of the skill. Adjusting is necessary to survival.