On comfort zones and the 4th of July

Before I dive into a short reflection I want to remind you that it’s not to late to comment on the OMB proposed rule changes for federal funding (for science and other areas). We need as many people paying attention and commenting as possible. If you’re not sure why or what I am talking about I wrote about it more here, and recently had an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald specifically focused on my state of Maine that you can read here.

A maple seed becomes a maple tree.
A caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
A tadpole becomes a frog.
Sperm and egg combine to make a human.

It’s more than just growing bigger and older. Science is full of examples of pretty remarkable types of changes being possible.

I think about this a lot. Especially lately. This time of year makes me very nostalgic. This year especially.You see, 15 years ago this week I packed up my whole life into a car and moved north to Maine to start my PhD program.

For a while it wasn’t certain. A few months before this move, I had gotten vaccinated for the first time. I was convinced that was the right decision. But to also move away from everything? Everyone? To abandon my family (okay, we can all agree it wasn’t my job to care for them, but it sure felt like abandoning)? To start over all by myself in a new state? All that I wasn’t sure about. I almost didn’t go.

But I did.

And as I drove up 95N to Maine, I fully and irrevocably committed to completing my own metamorphosis.

In fact, as I set off on this journey, I decided to live by the quote “Your life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

For me, I could have retreated back to my childhood beliefs and my community of origin. I could have chalked up the changes I had already started to undergo (including getting vaccinated) to me sowing my wild oats. It was tempting to just go back to what was familiar (even though I wasn’t happy there). But I actively chose not to, even when I wasn’t exactly sure what future I was moving toward. Even when it was painful and hard.

I’ve been thinking about that choice a lot this week, because change isn’t just personal. Tomorrow is the 4th of July. And the reality is there are many things that have happened (and are happening) that make me worried for our country now and tomorrow.

But I also find a lot of hope that my own new start occurred around this date.

I have had many conversations over the last five years reminding people that change is possible. Many people have told me they don’t understand why it’s worth trying to change anything, because nothing ever changes.

I, and science, show examples of change being possible. Change is not easy. Change takes effort and it takes energy (literal ATP in some cases). But change is, in fact, something that can and does happen.

I also struggle with what the alternative is? If we don’t try to change anything, I can promise you nothing and no one will change. Sure, we may fail in some areas. Some people may be unreachable. But if we don’t try, then we are resigning ourselves to a fate that is not yet sealed. By resigning, we make it more likely to come true.

Now, of course, not everyone can or should engage in the work of trying to bring about change in the same way. Those of us with privilege should carry more of the weight. Sadly, this is often the opposite in practice. It’s often the most harmed and marginalized who do the work to try to make things better (their lives depend on it), while too many others sit by thinking it’s not worth the effort.

Change is possible, but it certainly won’t come about easily or through comfort.

This week, this is really all I want to remind you of. Because maybe you, like me, are just really tired right now. I could have told you something more about science and data, but I couldn’t summon the energy to write anything more technical or coherent. I also suspect some of you are too tired to want it.

So friends. As we enter the 251st year of the USA being an independent country, I want you to remember that this is not the country we should or need to settle for. Our fate is not sealed. Change is possible.

And when the days are long and hard and you need reminders, think of science, think of me, and think of who else you know who has changed (I bet you know someone). Let these reminders be proof that it can happen again — for you and for us.

Because all of our future ancestors deserve a better country and world. You better believe I will keep doing what I can to make it so.

Xoxo,
Liz