change

Since the very first episode, I've been captivated by Grey's Anatomy. Not so much because of McDreamy, the interactions of the characters, the crazy medical stuff---although that all definitely adds to it. The reason I'm hooked? Meredith's opening and closing monologues.

Seriously, some of the most brilliant writing. Brilliant because it's honest and gut-wrenching. Because it so often resonates with my own heart, down somewhere deep inside. Because she finds a way to find words for things I feel, but cannot say.

So, say what you will about the show, but this---this right here---is undeniably powerful:

"Every cell in the human body regenerates, on average, every seven years. LIke snakes, in our own way, we shed our skin. Biologically, we’re brand new people. We may look the same—we probably do. The change isn’t visible—at least not in most of us—but we’re all changed. Completely. Forever.

When we say things like 'people don’t change,' it drives scientists crazy. Because change is literally the only constant in all of science. Energy... Matter... It’s always changing. Morphing. Merging. Growing. Dying.

It’s the way people try not to change that’s unnatural. The way we cling to what things were instead of letting them be what they are. The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones. The way we insist on believing, despite every scientific indication, that anything in this lifetime is permanent.

Change is constant. How we experience change… that’s up to us. It can feel like death. Or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers... loosen our grips... go with it... it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment, we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again."

(from season 7, episode 1)