A change is coming; are you ready?

I was a teenager when I learned this clever little syllogism: There is one thing that is certain and that is that nothing is certain; therefore it is not certain that nothing is certain.

While it's fun to play mental games with words, there is a universal truth here: Change is inevitable. It is one of those few things you can always count on. So I find it interesting that change so often catches us by surprise.

At this time of year, cooks makes the same well-loved recipes. Homeowners haul out and set up the same decorations. Older family members recite the family stories. We go on the same vacations or to our favorite restaurants or watch our favorite movies over and over.

Beyond holidays are normal times. There's our regular job and the car we drive or route we take to get there to spend the day doing what we do with the people there who also all take their same route or drive. There's our regular relationships with friends and family. There's our regular economy and politics at work, in the neighborhood and on state and national levels. And in all of this, we tend to see ourselves and our lives as constant.

But in the midst of all of this regular life, anything -- anything at all -- can happen, from mishaps to happy coincidences. We might have a chance encounter that leads to a lifelong love or a new job or to the cold or the flu. We might win the lottery or the office football pool or twist our ankle just getting up from a chair. Really, anything can happen. From the very good to the very bad and, most important, the mundane, nothing ever stays the same forever. Change is inevitable. It is helpful to be open and, therefore, ready.

For better or worse, change is always coming.