Accept Changes to Move on from Past Beliefs

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Recommended: Life lessons from Mirror Image and Saturday Climbing

What makes life full of surprises and excitements is the fact that it is unpredictable. Nothing stays the same forever, and everything is destined to change. Whether the changes are positive or not depends on how much one is willing to unconditionally accept and adjust to them. The protagonists Alice and Barry, from “Mirror Image” written by Lena Coakley and “Saturday Climbing” by W.D. Valgardson respectively, are dealing with different forms of changes in their lives, but are both learning to accept and embrace them. Both of them start off with strong resistance against the changes introduced to their lives, constantly fighting against them and clinging on to the past. However, through many events, their perspectives start to shift, and they begin to realize the fact that they need to cultivate the ability to accept the changes. Finally, both Alice and Barry are able to move on from their past beliefs as they learn to fully embrace the changes life brings. Thus, one has to be accepting towards changes that occur in one’s life in order to move on from past beliefs.
Firstly, the two protagonists both experience unexpected changes in their lives at the beginning of their stories, but both are inclined to stick to their past beliefs and refuse to recognize the need to adjust to the changes. In the story “Mirror Image”, a devastating car crash leads Alice to a brain transplant that brings a series of unwanted changes to Alice’s life. Her family, who was once close to her, begins to see her as an outsider, as she no longer shows any form of resemblance to her former self. Alice herself also believes that she is a different person: “Alice took to wearing sunglasses all the time, to remind herself, to keep something constantly ...

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...eir lives, as one is only able to move on from past beliefs if one is willing to fully accept the changes. Both Alice from “Mirror Image” and Barry from “Saturday Climbing” start off struggling to see things in a new perspective, and therefore fails to embrace the changes in their lives. However, as the stories progress through, both of them begin to realize that the changes are unavoidable, and the best solution to facing the changes is to truly accept them. At the end of the story, both Alice and Barry learn to shift their thinking and adjust to the changes in their lives, and successfully move on from their past beliefs. Changes in life can be uncontrollable, but it is up to one’s attitudes towards the transformations and one’s willingness to embrace them that determine whether the changes can inspire new chances, and how one can make the best out of them.

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