Red light, green light

Waiting at a traffic light while watching a car drive up the hill ahead, I thought about how I wasn’t actually paying attention to the light, but that when it changed, I’d notice. If I didn’t notice the light change, I’d notice the horn of the car behind me. This is my point. What we notice most is that which changes.

I believe this is a very human thing. We float along on auto-pilot most of the time because so many of the details of everyday existence are boring. We are attuned to change, to the different. There probably aren’t too many people who didn’t know the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series a few years ago, but they won again this past year and while it is certainly nice for them, I probably won’t be interested in the Series again until the Cubs have a chance at winning. This presupposes the Cubs will ever have a chance at winning, but that’s a dilemma for another day. My point is, this was a change that impressed itself even on my non-sporting world.

Change can be good. We don’t generally enjoy being in a rut, same-o same-o every day, but change for change’s sake might not be the best thing. Just because there is something new on the market, some new gadget bigger or better or faster or smaller than what it’s meant to replace doesn’t mean we should chuck out the old. I actually heard someone say the other day, “That’s so 2007.” Yeah, so?

We’re almost always going to notice that which changes though not always in real time. We don’t notice the subtle changes as we and those around us age unless those around us are children. Real children, not just those who act like children. Children grow so fast it’s practically a crime. For the rest of us, the changes over time are usually brought home by looking through old photographs or when someone we haven’t seen in a while looks so much older and we realize we look older to them as well.

So, if you happen to be behind me when the light changes and my car doesn’t move forward, tap your horn and I’ll be on my way. I haven’t changed so much that I need a hearing aid.

At least not yet.