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Everything Changes
Young people grow old.
Some things change all at once.
Days turn into nights.
Short hair grows long.
Like a popcorn kernel that suddenly pops.
Some things change more slowly.
Or a birthday party when everyone shouts, "Surprise!"
Or a cloudburst that drenches everyone to the bone,
Or a lamp that changes a room from dark to light.
Like a tree growing a little every day,
Some changes are happy and exciting
Or an ice cube melting in a cold drink,
Or the way the clock moves when you're
waiting for recess to begin.
Like the day in Spring when green buds appear
Some changes are scary
Or the start of a race when all the runners take off
Or when you leave home to go on a vacation.
Like a house burning down
Some changes are both exciting and a little bit scary
Or a car screeching to a stop
Or an earthquake that shakes the ground
Like the first day of a new school
Or a roller coaster ride
Or learning to swim, or ride a bike.
How Things Change
Change happens only when something makes it happen--something inside or outside, pushing or pulling, holding or letting go, saying 'yes' or saying 'no'.
A sturdy tree stands many years, until lighting or wind comes along
Change is like a tug-of-war with two sides pulling in opposite directions. For something to change, one side has to pull harder than the other.
to knock it down.
Traffic keeps moving, until a red light tells it to stop.
We keep drinking until we aren't thirsty anymore.
When a door is stuck, you need to push or pull hard to open it.
One side is usually stronger, more important, or easier to see than the
other side.
An elevator has to be very strong to lift up a load of people
weighing it down.
Sometimes you have to argue very hard to change someone's mind.
When one team is winning, they are the stronger side at that
Changes start little by little with each side pushing or pulling against the other.
moment.
When your body is stronger than any germs, you feel healthy, not
sick.
When a volcano is erupting, it is so strong that not even a mountain
can hold it down.
We blow up a small balloon, and it gets bigger and bigger.
A baby tooth ready to come out gets looser every day.
Our bedroom starts out neat and clean, but gets messier and
messier as time goes by.
A cold popcorn kernel being cooked gets hotter and hotter
Turning Points
In time there comes a turning point.
When a balloon gets too big, it pops.
Like the popping balloon and popcorn some turning points are easy to see.
When a new tooth pushes far enough, a loose baby tooth falls out.
At some point your room becomes so messy that you decide to
clean it up.
When the tiny drop of water inside a popcorn kernel turns to steam,
the popcorn pops--all at once.
When a match is struck, it bursts into flame
Other times the turning point is hard to see, but it still happens.
When our sleeping bodies are rested, we wake up.
When a piņata gets one last solid "Whack", the candy spills out.
One day, when it is ready, a butterfly pops out of its cocoon.
When snow on a mountain gets too deep, it falls in a thundering
avalanche.
Children grow a little every day, until one day there they are--
all grown up.
Over many, many years, wind and rain can change mountains into
grains of sand.
If you start with a big bag of Halloween candy, and eat a little
every day, one day it becomes more empty than full.
Icy winters change into balmy summers, day by day.
Some turning points mark an ending
Like a street that comes to a dead end
Some endings are happy.
Or going to bed at the end of a day
Or the last day of school before summer vacation.
Like the kiss at the end of a wedding.
Some endings are sad.
Or a home run that wins a ball game for your team.
Like falling off a bike.
But since changes never stop, even endings are new beginnings.
Or saying good-bye to a friend if you move away.
When the school year ends, summer vacation begins.
If you fall off a bike, you can get up and try to ride again.
If you move away, you can make new friends, and keep in touch
with all your friends by email.
Circles and Spirals
Some changes go in circles, returning to where they started.
Like a Ferris wheel that goes up and comes back down to the same
Some changes go in spirals--they look like they come back to where they started, but something is different.
spot.
Or the day which turns into night and then into day
Or the seasons--Winter--Spring--Summer--Fall--and Winter again
Or our breathing--in and out and in
Like a winding staircase that moves in a circle, but comes around to
a higher point.
Or going to school and coming back home, but learning more about
the world every day.
Or losing something; then finding it, and then putting it in a special
place so you won't lose it again.
Or like children growing up to be parents with children of their own.
Making Changes
Now you know how things change. Do you also know that you are powerful
and that you can make all sorts of changes?
Some changes are simple to make.
If you don't like a TV show, you can change the channel or turn the
Some changes take a bit more effort.
TV off.
If you don't like your hair style, you can cut it differently next
time.
If you want to play the piano, you can study and practice and
learn.
In our world, if you work with other people, you can help make many changes.
If you are shy or lonely, you can join a club and find people who
like the same things you do.
If you are mean to someone, you can say you're sorry.
And if someone is mean to you, you can learn to forgive.
For safer streets people can work to put up stop signs and traffic
If everyone pulls together we can learn how to solve even big problems.
We can change--
signals.
To make our neighborhoods clean, we can help pick up trash.
Sickness to health
Now you are coming to another turning point--the end of this web page.
Has reading this made a change in you?
Poverty to wealth
War to peace
Famine to feast.
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