Changes

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When I think of changes, especially when I perceive them as big changes ~ I often expect them to show up suddenly, unexpected. A sense that changes will come into the world and into my life with a ‘bang’...

And although this may happen every once in a while ~ usually changes appear silently, even without being noticed. They may start out as small changes in plans or priorities; the occasional time when you change your mind. And bit by bit these innocuous changes take hold. Pretty soon, they will start to become the basis for bigger changes ~ like changes in attitude, or behavior. And before you know it you  may have a desire to find yourself a new home, in a new city ~ and be on the lookout for a new job! All the while wondering where all these changes have come from.

Along similar lines one can anticipate climate changes.
Sort of like it has been depicted in the movies where in 48 hours a nice, moderate ~ or perhaps subtropical climate changes into an environment that is frozen solid. With all the problems that would bring with it...
Yet in all reality, weather patterns have been changing for the past four or five years ~ I suppose world-wide; although I have really noticed it in my native Country of the Netherlands. At first we just experienced a nice, unexpectedly warm and sunny Spring time. Granted, the following Summer was a bit rainier than anticipated. But the Fall season seemed to sport regular plain Autumn weather. And to the surprise of many (and delight of some) the Winter temperatures dropped low enough for ice skating rinks to open for the first time in years...
Throughout that year, all I remembered was that beautiful, warm Spring.

Now that we are a number of years later ~ Spring seems to be consistently warm and sunny, Summer is a lot more rainy and humid than I remembered Summer weather to be when I grew up. And the average temperature in the Winter appears to be dropping below the quite moderate temperatures I used to be used to.

While it doesn’t seem like much ~ it most definitely counts as a change in weather patterns; and probably as a change in the climate as well.
This particular change didn’t come in with a lot of fanfare. It started quietly, with a pleasant surprise of nice Spring weather!

And who knows what is still to come?
Will it evolve into a far more wet climate? Or the opposite ~ a dryer weather type? Will the Dutch climate move up a notch from ‘temperate’ to ‘sub-tropical’? Something that may seem wonderful at the surface, but which may bring great and unanticipated changes along with it...

Whatever changes may come into our lives and our world next ~ chances are they will start quietly but will not be any less profound than if they were to come in with a ‘bang’!
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