We were recording this week and Ian mentioned they’d bought a new car. His daughter cried. Actual tears, over the loss of the seat warmers.
And honestly? I understood completely.
We are creatures of habit. Our routines, our familiar things, the small comforts we didn’t even know we were attached to until they’re gone. Change disrupts all of that, even when the change is objectively good. Even when you chose it yourself.
What came up in this conversation was something I hadn’t quite put words to before. The amount of grace I extend when things change depends almost entirely on the trust I’ve already built with the person involved. A tradesman who showed up on time, sent the quote same evening, and confirmed a date? When he eventually needs to shift something, I’ve already decided I’ll forgive him. A different tradesman who made everything a struggle from the start? A single change would feel like confirmation of everything I already suspected.
The same pattern plays out in every area of life. The clients, the appointments, the people we’re in relationship with. We forgive change in people we trust, and we don’t in people we don’t.
And right now, with a renovation, a new car, a mortgage renewal, and new insurance all happening at once, I’m somewhere in the middle of figuring out where my trust sits with all of it.
Maybe that’s the most honest thing I can offer. Change is hard. Especially when it all arrives at the same time.