By Karen Osborne • Catholic News Service • Posted December 11, 2014

My husband, Glenn, is an athlete. He gets up early to train for marathons and eats protein bars like candy. This year he will log nearly 400 miles on the road, and that’s only since May.

It’s a change for me because the man I married in 2005 wasn’t an athlete but a geeky musician like me. His only “marathons” were hours of practice at the piano.

At the time, watching him change was really confusing and a little lonely because I felt I couldn’t connect to his new world of running shoes and health books. But that’s the cool thing about people. They change.

Change is a constant and one we don’t really like. We think politicians are always liberal, or always conservative. The mean teacher is always the mean teacher. The building on the corner will always be on the corner.

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But change is a good thing. Change means that you’re growing and learning. Change can be great when it means you do better in school, when you raise your grade from a C to a B or when you successfully ask your crush to the dance.

However, change doesn’t always feel good. In fact, it can feel awful when you lose a friend, when you move or when you get dumped.

We try to fight change. There’s a really good reason for all the songs about endless summers and eternal youth. But the problem is that fighting change is like fighting the sunrise. No matter what you do, it will eventually come.

Hiding from change may make you feel better for a little while, but it won’t blot out the sun from around the shutters or keep the world from moving on without you.

People should face change and take advantage of it, even when it brings sadness, anger or loneliness. Nearly every kind of change can be turned around, harnessed and used for good.

Are you scared about graduation? A lot of people are scared. It’s a big change. But fear can dissipate with a good plan in place, researching and figuring out what is right for you.

Scared about getting dumped or being alone? It’s a valid fear. Going back to being single can be frightening. But if a relationship is abusive or if the other person isn’t treating you the way you deserve to be treated, ending that relationship will be good for you in the long run.

Scared about doing new things? Human beings are creatures of habit, and we like comfort. But if we don’t change, we’ll never know the true gifts that God has given us, or how you get to share them with the world. Accepting change can enhance your life.

For me, instead of hiding from my husband’s running, I learned to change too. I started running as well, and now I am happier and healthier for it. I was scared of the change it would bring, but it ended up being a great change.

The next time you go through a change, think positively. Just because one story is over doesn’t mean the book is over. It means a new chapter is beginning.