Rightfully so, unforeseen changes cause distress, uncertainty, and a pressing sense of fear. So what are we to do when our habits are interrupted and our stability is tested? Keep these few truths in minds when the comfort rug is swept from under your feet.

Live life with the knowledge that there is more good in the world than evil. The small positive changes we make each day make a difference for us, for our community and for our world.

Here's what I'm working on: making the "new normal" of life beyond cancer just plain normal. Whatever your struggle, I know it's possible to move beyond constant comparisons between what was and what now is with the right tools. Here's what it's going to take.

When we let go of our judgment about where we are and where we think we "should" be, we're able to appreciate our lives, the people around us, and ourselves in a genuine way.

While you are in crisis, you are forced to function outside of your normal comfort zone. The sheer nature of a crisis or struggle creates a certain amount of present moment awareness, which is where the solutions live.

It's only when you stop resisting change and make the best of the moment, "without knowing what's going to happen next," that the universe supports you to create inspired healing, wellness, and live-out-loud joy.

Who isn't afraid of change? True, some of us have more fear of instability than others. But when you really get down to it, we are all shaken up when the movement inherent to change occurs.

Without change in ourselves we become stifled and stagnant; without change in the world we will not survive. Such impermanence means that every difficulty, challenge, joy, or success will, at some point, be different: This too shall pass.

How do you feel about change?  If you're anything like me, you probably have mixed feelings about it.  While it often depends on our perception of the type of change -- big or small, good or bad, needed or unnecessary, easy or hard, etc. - most of us seek and fear change simultaneously.

Norman Fischer says, "Life comes and goes. Life comes and goes very quickly. We don't need to worry so much." When in doubt, find your footing in change. Instead of fighting the current, take cue, and for once in your life, flow downstream.

How do you deal with and feel about change? There are those change junkies out there who can't stop seeking the newest, most thrilling, most different thing around the bend. Then there are their opposites. Where do you fall along this spectrum?

If change is vibration, a shift in chords creates another song entire. And if life is vibration as well, there is incredible value in effectively leveraging change to positively affect our lives.

There are no alternatives to the aging process; therefore, the only way to cope with change is to be willing to take a chance on changing our attitude toward many things.

If you welcome the coming of fall then by all means, go forth in joy. If not, you are not alone. Change is hard for most people, but with a little practice you may learn to embrace it.

Yes, we can learn to cope with change, but why not learn to thrive? The choice is ours to make.

Maybe we can never truly prepare ourselves for something like this, but we can remind ourselves that every moment and every action counts.

What's your natural reaction to change? Here are several different examples of "Change Agents," in the form of animals to represent different styles and approaches. Notice which one is most like you.

The goal, I would hope, is not to get so stuck that we continue to do something, or stay somewhere, or with someone, simply because it is frightening not to.

I've been hearing a good deal about the good old days and wondering seriously when the hell people are referring to. I mean, really, when are the good old days?

Confluence represents a coming together of random moments in your life that are startlingly familiar. It is the mystery that surrounds those 'coincidences' that nudge you in a new direction.

Blindsided by a job loss, the unfamiliar isn't to be feared: It can be a chance to turn your life around....