Catalysts for Change

Posted in inspirationTagged , , ,

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu

I like to joke that any day that I have my kids yelling “run for your lives” by noon is a fun one. My most consistent tool in the bag is having them make baking soda “volcanoes” and then pour vinegar over the top to start the “lava.” Then we yell “run for your lives” and laugh ourselves silly.

I’ve been thinking about catalysts lately. Was the baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate with a formula of NaHCO3) looking to be changed? Did the vinegar (formula CH 3 COOH) want to catalyze a reaction?  (By the way, I looked up why the reaction happens. According to Stem Mayhem, it is a very common acid-base reaction. The reaction releases carbon dioxide which bubbles up as gas.)

When I did my podcast with my meditation teacher, Deirdre, last week, she talked about transformation as exactly what we need to live our best lives – a process of continued growth into our best selves. In my experience, we aren’t left to do this all by ourselves. Often people (or things) show up to catalyze the change, walk us to the threshold of what we need to learn next, or maybe even join in as we yell “run for your lives.” It’s the topic of my Wise & Shine post this week: Guides for Transformation

37 thoughts on “Catalysts for Change”

  1. If the vinegar started telling me it wanted to start to catalyze a reaction, you’d hear me scream, “Run for your lives!”

    Liked by 5 people

  2. That Lao Tzu is profound and hit me hard this morning. “Let reality be reality.” How often are we faced with (what seem like) unfavorable circumstances? And how often do we harm ourselves trying to resist them? I love the analogy to the science class volcano, Wynne–even if we don’t want to change, sometimes it’s just what we need.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Erin – your question “how often do we harm ourselves trying to resist them?” Speaking for myself – A LOT! I love your take on this – it’s just what we need.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Wow — I love the comments from Dr. Stein, Erin and Bruce…and it seems wildly unfair of me to say “ditto” to all three…but that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. I love the humor, the science…and the message wrapped within. Thank you, Wynne. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Your “run for your lives” description brings back the version in my house. We’d have unannounced deer-drills. I would scream “crash” to mimic the sound of breaking glass and then yell “deer-drill” pretending that a deer jumped through our window and was mangling our house trying to find it’s way out. Everyone needed to make it into my bed room, but we had to take the most circuitous route through the house to get there. Ah, the good times.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Hahaha! Well…having just covered acids and bases… but look at the joy (I’m sure) you have over searching out that info for yourself 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Wynne, this is a good one -“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu. I am also enjoying the looks on the faces of the ‘two kitchen scientists’ – priceless!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m so glad you liked that picture. I was going to go with something from Pexels because I was in a hurry but then slowed down to find this one and I’m glad I did. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Thank you for this inspirational mid-week post, Wynne. It’s wonderful that you see the catalysts that the universe gives you when you are ready for a change and that embrace these opportunities for transformation.

    What a blessed life to have these catalyzing moments and the experiences they opened up for you.

    Love the image of your kids and the baking soda volcano. I can see and hear the laughter so vividly in my head. Pure sunshine!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What a lovely comment, Ab! Thank you! I was going to just use some dry image of beakers from Pexels but took the time to find one of us actually doing it. You have made me so glad that I did! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Would you PLEASE take a video and post it if you do that? I’m howling imagining doing that at a party… 🙂 And if you want a more practical application, I believe doing it in the sink is recommended for getting rid of odors…but it’s still fun.

      Like

  14. I haven’t heard that term in ages. Once upon a time someone told me I was a catalyst for change. At the time I was taken aback because I thought I was more mainstream, but now realize she was right. I can live with the knowledge that I’m the baking soda that makes things rise or fizz! Sure, why not?

    Liked by 1 person

  15. How many times have I commented on what a fun mom you are? Like, many. Here’s another example. And the “run for your lives” thing is something your kids will remember fondly in their adult years, I’m sure.

    Like

Comments are closed.