Rods, Cones, and Your View of Change
Within your eye there are two different types of photoreceptors: Cones and Rods. The cones are most responsible for seeing things in daylight, while the rods are more sensitive and help us see in low light environments. When you walk into a dark room from a brightly lit one, the eye is switching from relying on the cones (daylight) to the rods (low light) to see. That's why you have a momentary inability to see, but in a few minutes you can see quite clearly.
A strange experiment was conducted on an episode of one of my favorite TV shows, Mythbusters. The myth was that pirates wore a patch over one eye so they could more quickly see if moving from a brightly lit location (above deck) to a dimly lit one (below deck). When they moved to the lower light location, they would switch the patch, allowing the covered eye (with the rods already active, searching for light) to help them see. After a series of tests, the myth was found to actually be plausible.
Our view of change requires a similar approach. We should always be looking at the bright opportunities offered by change, but also keeping an eye toward the potential dark areas of the unknown and exploring how to proceed. Too much focus on the opportunities can blind us to potential challenges within the change, and spending too much time looking only at the obstacles will insure that our desire to change will never, well... "see the light of day."
