"The times they are a changin'"

I realize that he may be an acquired taste, but I really enjoy listening to the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.  I've blogged about him in the past (see the post about my absolute favorite Dylan song, "The Chimes of Freedom").  Several years ago, I watched him play live at an outdoor music venue in Indianapolis (truthfully, the concert wasn't great - Dylan acted like he didn't want to be there, but the music was good).  He is often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and he even won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.  The New York Times reported, "Mr. Dylan is the first musician to win the award, and his selection on Thursday is perhaps the most radical choice in a history stretching back to 1901."  Dylan initially remained silent about the award, and many people believed that he would refuse to accept it.  While he did not attend the ceremony in person, he graciously accepted the award and later published a rather poignant essay in lieu of an acceptance speech.

Another favorite Dylan song of mine is The Times They Are a-Changin', which also is one of his most famous songs.  It is a beautiful song that captures the essence of the social and political upheaval of an entire generation who lived through the 1960's:

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'

Beautifully poetic!  I'm not the first to say it, but the world is constantly changing.  The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said it better than I ever could, when he said that "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."  Change is the only constant in our universe.

Yesterday (March 14th) was the two year anniversary of our pediatric hospital's first patient who tested positive for COVID-19.  Since that time, we have tested over 75,000 patients for COVID-19.  Almost 7,000 of those patients tested positive, and we admitted close to 1,000 of these patients to our children's hospital.  The experience at most of the adult hospitals in our city was quite different, but COVID-19 still had a major impact on us.  I took a moment yesterday to reflect on all that has happened in the last two years.  I have changed.  Our hospital has changed.  Our city has changed.  Our world has changed.

We will never be the same.  And that's okay.  As I thought about it more, our hospital, our city, and our world (and yes, even me) would have been different today compared to two years ago, even if COVID-19 had never happened.  Just like Heraclitus' river, with the water constantly moving downstream, we are all moving through our lives and changing every minute.

The ancient Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius said in his book Meditations, "The universe is transformation; life is opinion."  Stated more simply (and perhaps less elegantly), "The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."  Recognize that everything is changing - and accept that there is nothing we can do to prevent it.  And most importantly, with change comes hope.  "Oh, there been times that I thought I couldn't last for long.  It's been a long long time coming, but I know a change gonna come."