Thriving During Uncertainty and Change

An unexpected lesson after finishing a book

Some moments of change are beautiful — like the sky in Lake Tahoe last week.

First, an apology. I rudely disappeared for the past several months without explanation. Here’s what happened: The book I’ve been trying to write for a very long time decided that enough was enough. It was time to sit down, focus, and finish it. And I didn’t have the stamina to write that and this, or this and that, simultaneously. Now, I’m done, and I’m back.

I’m also back with a broader focus because a funny thing happened after writing Safekeeping: A Mother’s Reckoning With Love in a Changing World. I realized that what I learned while grappling with parenting in a changing climate—over nearly 20 years—does not just apply to parenting. Or just to climate change.

At the risk of stating the obvious: We are all facing an extraordinary—one might say extreme—degree of change these days. It’s happening in our natural world and our workplaces, political system, economy, sense of community (or the lack thereof), and technology, which, in turn, is changing nearly everything.

In short, there’s little shortage of cause to reel and zero evidence to suggest that life will soon settle down like a nice, quiet rolling river.

So, it’s only practical to consider how we develop the capacity to relate more wisely to all kinds of uncertainty and change. The potential benefits include feeling bounced about less often and being more capable of contributing, in our own small way, to the reseeding of a better world.

But why aim for thriving, you may ask? More on that next week.