Yes and NO.
On one hand there are many aspects of me that haven’t really changed at all. I am still very methodical. I still love writing. I’m still an engineer to the core. I still enjoy trips to the mountains and the ocean.
On the other hand, there are many parts of me that have always been, but have blosumed far beyond what they were in the past.
I have always been very sensitive. Now I am growing to be a very compassionate person. In the past, I found it easy to look the other way. Now when I see suffering, it hurts and I want to help. Then there are activities, like running and climbing, that I dabbled with a bit in the past, but which have taken on a whole new place in my life now.
Then there are the things that have nearly, if not far beyond, done a 180.
I don’t know that I can express this in a way that you will understand but for me, one of the biggest changes is becoming more accepting and seeing a bigger world. In the past, I was very focused on me and mine. Now I see so much more. The world is so big and there are so many different people to learn from and enjoy.
Then there is gratitude. I have spent a lot of years dwelling on what I lack. Nothing much has changed there. I still have plenty of wants. But more often I find myself staring at a beautiful sunset, our (Utah’s) magnificent mountains, or just looking at my family and gratitude overwhelms me. I have been blessed so much.
By far the biggest outward change has been that I have gone from being a sedentary introvert to a very active extrovert. The crowd is never too big, the party is never too long. I can go from dancing till the club close to get up the next morning for an all day event. I don’t know where the energy comes from, but I have given up questioning the bless of it. I seem to crave social interaction and activities as much as I need air to breath. In all of this I feel so alive now.
I am sure there are other things, but those are the things that are clear to me right now. You might disagree, but from my perspective, I am changing for the better, and I am so grateful for all that is going on in my life.