Life lessons learned
OPINION: I have been thinking quite a bit recently about something I could call Life Lessons Learned.
OPINION: I was a much younger man when I first heard the wise words "Change is the only constant in life".
At that time in my life, everything was very settled, with no apparent blips on the radar warning about ‘weather’ that may be up ahead. Our children were all much younger and at home with us, and everyone in the wider family seemed to be in good health. Added to that, we had great work fulfillment and security. There really were no dramas, and every day, every week, was pretty much the same. Great years for sure!
Here I am today, probably all of three decades later, and now I have a real appreciation for those seven simple words that quite escaped me back then!
Yep, life is full of changes, with many of them happening whether we are aware of them or not. Most don’t exactly sneak up on us either. At times, we play ‘pretend they’re not there’!
We live in a country with four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Personally, I like it that way. Each season has plusses and minuses, but you can adjust to them and enjoy the changes that each one brings. You can easily sense the seasonal changes coming after you’ve lived through a few! “Spring is in the air” is a saying I’ve heard and said myself many times over the years.
We cannot stop the seasons and the changes that come with them; the wisest thing we can do is adapt to them. So… get some firewood lined up, winter is surely on its way!
Obviously, some changes are warmly welcomed while others are quite the hated thing. I think it’s the close-up and personal changes that you can’t avoid that people struggle with the most. Stuff that’s forced on us by others is never easy either. Like those of us in the farming sector have to cope with when officials (often unelected) attempt to shove their ‘clever’ and often clueless ideas down our throats!
Mother Nature and Father Time working together will always ensure changes occur too. Changes to our bodies as we age come to mind here. Not always easy, I must admit.
What’s the deal then? Life is lived in seasons. And you have already come through a bunch. Your baby season, your toddler season, on through the childhood one, then the teenager, or should I say, your ‘teenangel’ season.
You survived! The schooling season will change to the left-school one. The single life, the married life, and then the first baby arrives – it’s no longer just the two of you. It’s now a whole new season at your place.
Yes, you have already successfully lived through many seasons, and here you are today reading this column! I don’t know exactly what’s happening in your world, but I do know this much – change is on its way!
Those of us with ‘miles on the clock’, or decades of seasons now behind us, can bring sage advice to the table to help you find your way through what can be murky times. My 50 cents worth of advice is to make the very most of each season. Enjoy it, make the most of each day and live life to the full. And get prepped, even just a little, for the next one.
As I look back over the many changes and seasons I’ve lived through, it’s been a real strength for me to have a sure anchor that holds – even through the worst of weather.
Take care and God Bless.
To contact Colin Miller email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has removed 33,418 wild goats over the past three years.
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.

OPINION: Your old mate welcomes the proposed changes to local government but notes it drew responses that ranged from the reasonable…
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your…