Change Has Been My Greatest Teacher
If I'm being honest, I've never been a fan of change.
As a child with Cerebral Palsy, September wasn't something I looked forward to. While other kids were excited about new school supplies, seeing friends again, and starting a new grade, I was usually focused on all the unknowns that came with a new school year. I wondered whether I would have the same Educational Assistant, whether my teacher would understand my needs, and whether I'd have to spend weeks explaining what worked for me and what didn't.
For many people, September represented a fresh start. For me, it often felt like starting over. When you live with a disability, consistency matters. The people who support you become part of your daily routine. They learn how you communicate, what you need help with, what challenges you face, and how to support your independence. When those relationships change, it can feel like a significant loss, even if the change is a positive for me in the long run.
As a child with Cerebral Palsy, September wasn't something I looked forward to. While other kids were excited about new school supplies, seeing friends again, and starting a new grade, I was usually focused on all the unknowns that came with a new school year. I wondered whether I would have the same Educational Assistant, whether my teacher would understand my needs, and whether I'd have to spend weeks explaining what worked for me and what didn't.
For many people, September represented a fresh start. For me, it often felt like starting over. When you live with a disability, consistency matters. The people who support you become part of your daily routine. They learn how you communicate, what you need help with, what challenges you face, and how to support your independence. When those relationships change, it can feel like a significant loss, even if the change is positive in the long run.
As children, we're taught about butterflies and how beautiful transformation can be. For me, however, change often felt difficult and messy. It usually came with frustration, uncertainty, and a reluctance to put in the work required to adapt. Every September, I would have preferred to stay home with my mom rather than face another round of changes.
As the years have passed, I've learned that change doesn't end when school does. In many ways, adulthood has brought even more of it. Personal Support Workers come and go, schedules change, services evolve, and circumstances shift in ways we often can't control. There have been times when I finally felt settled into a routine, only to discover that something was changing yet again.
While I still don't particularly enjoy those moments, I've come to understand that adaptation is a skill. It's not a skill I asked to learn, but it's one that living with a disability has taught me over and over again. Every change, whether it's a new support worker, a shift in routine, or an unexpected challenge, has required me to build trust, develop patience, and find confidence in my ability to adjust.
The truth is that some of the most meaningful lessons in my life have come from changes I never would have chosen for myself. Often, the situations that felt frustrating, uncomfortable, or even unfair at the time ended up teaching me something valuable about resilience, flexibility, and my own strength.
When I look back, I can see that growth rarely happened during the seasons when everything stayed exactly the same. Growth happened when I was challenged to adapt, when I was pushed outside my comfort zone, and when I discovered that I was capable of handling more than I thought.
As I move into another fall season, I'm reminded that change is happening all around us. The leaves begin to change color and eventually fall from the trees. Many people see fall as a season of endings, a reminder that things are dying or being left behind. While I understand that perspective, it has never been the way I look at it.
When I see leaves falling, I don't see death. I see preparation.
The leaves are not falling because the tree is dying or because its story is over. They fall because the tree is making room for what comes next. Letting go of those leaves is part of a natural cycle that allows new growth to emerge when the season is right.
The older I get, the more I realize life works much the same way. Change is everywhere. Our bodies change, our abilities change, and our relationships change. In those moments, it can be easy to focus on what we're losing. What I've learned, however, is that change often creates space for something new, even if we can't see it right away.
Sometimes the things we are most afraid of letting go of are the very things making room for future growth. That doesn't mean change is easy. It doesn't mean we won't grieve what was or wish things could stay the same a little longer. But it does mean that change isn't always something to fear.
More often than not, change is preparing us for what's next.
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