First things first, it’s not up to anyone else to “let” you change. It’s 100% your choice (AND you, as well as anyone else impacted, are each individually responsible for how you handle the consequences of those choices). Another way to put it = you are not responsible for how someone else reacts to your change. You are only responsible for your change and your response to it.
So, when I say “thank you for letting me change” I’m wanting to express gratitude for allowing me to now be different in your mind and life than I have been in the past. I recognize the grace it takes to see someone in a new light, and I’m grateful you gave the new me (the real me) a proper chance to get her sea legs, so to speak.
Sometimes I *cringe* when I look back at who I used to be – and how I used to avoid things, host regular pity parties for myself, and wallow in comparison.
Not my best look, but a familiar one I stayed with for many years.
One of the things I’ve learned to have such a deep appreciation for is people in my life who allowed space in their life for me to change. The grace they have to now let me be bold where I used to be passive, to be confident where I used to be timid, to be joyful where I used to be depressed.
Each of these dramatic changes (and all the smaller ones leading up to them) impacted others as well as myself, and not everyone stuck around for the whole ride. It’s DISRUPTIVE to change, and there WILL be pushback. Not everyone will welcome it, understand it, or be happy with you about it (even if the changes are really positive ones).
Some of these changes were graceful and smooth, and some were terribly abrupt and rocky. Some of the adjustments I made were super intentional (and I’ve been wowed by how different my life looks) – and some of the adjustments were simply a by-product of other choices and not something I necessarily sought out.
If you find yourself in a space of change (which, honestly, I hope so – change can be so healthy and we’re not meant to remain in one place our whole life), take courage and hope, and know that there WILL be people who will celebrate your changes with you (and if they’re really solid friends, they’ll call you out if the changes aren’t healthy ones…’cause those happen, too)!
Change. Go for it! And be thankful for the people who let it happen – the ones who encourage you and have grace for you as you’re navigating life from a new perspective.
