Earth Wisdom Miniseries : Part 1

Recentering Through Change

In a world that keeps shifting, many of us are asking the same question: how do I stay steady within it?

In my conversations with others, I’ve noticed that most people think change itself is the problem. What I’m proposing here is that it’s not — it’s where you are in relation to it.

Do you remember riding a merry-go-round as a child?

At the outer edge, everything blurs. The spin feels chaotic. You grip tighter, your body braces, and it almost feels like you might get thrown off.

But closer to the center, something shifts.

It’s still spinning at the same speed, but it feels steadier. More manageable.

You can actually orient yourself again.

The spin didn’t change. Only your position did.

This is exactly how we experience change as adults.

Regenerative leadership thinker Giles Hutchins names a familiar pattern: when something unexpected lands, we tend to meet it in one of two ways — either resisting it or trying to control it.

Resistance might look like…

“This shouldn’t be happening.” We replay what was promised and brace against reality.

Control might look like…

We jump into action - fixing, planning, proving, overextending. On the outside, it looks proactive. On the inside, it’s often panic.

I see both as understandable human reactions. Yet neither are truly sustainable.

Over time they create a familiar cycle:

Shock → Act → Burnout → Repeat.

The faster life moves, the faster that loop runs, and the further we drift from our center.

Fear — and what we think the world wants from us — begins to take over. We find ourselves moving through our days disconnected, either overextending or quietly withdrawing.

Does any of this sound familiar?

The good news is, there’s another way!

Mother Nature has been modeling it all along.

She doesn’t resist change or try to control it. She moves with it – in flow – redistributing energy, adapting, and rebalancing from within.

This is a more regenerative way of responding to change. And it becomes more natural to us, too, as we learn how to move from our center.

Because like the merry-go-round, when you’re centered, the world can keep spinning — and you don’t lose your footing inside it.

This week, I invite you to try something simple.

When change lands, pause.

Before reacting, take a breath and sense where you are in the present moment. Let any stories from the past or the future fall away and come back to what’s here and now.

Then just notice:

• What part of me wants to grip?

• What part of me wants to manage?

• What part of me wants to withdraw?

No need to fix anything yet. Just observe.

Awareness is the first step back to center.

In the next post, I’ll share a grounded way to start practicing this, using a simple framework drawn from an earth-aligned tradition.

For now, just notice.

With warmth and resonance, Annie