Snakeskins

Did you know that snakes shed their skin three to six times a year?  And that the younger they are, the more frequently they shed?  The process then slows down as they age.  

This time of the shedding is called ecdysis, with the history of the word borrowed from Greek meaning getting out or escape.  You might be wondering why I’m talking about snakes and their process of getting rid of their old skin.   

I started thinking about this a few days ago, how snakes basically slither out of their old skin.  My thoughts occurred after attending a two-day event for my department at work.  Over the last several weeks we have been preparing for the event with the end goal being to determine how we can improve some of our processes and workflow.  I think it was worthwhile and believe our upcoming changes will help us become more efficient and create a new workflow that may be simpler.

Still, it is a change.  As much as I want to profess otherwise, I sometimes struggle with change.

The reason a snake sheds is to allow for further growth.  It’s the same for us humans.   As we go through changes in our lives, it is often a time of growing and can be unpleasant.  While the snake creeps and wriggles out of the old, they can become irritable.  I can relate to that.  When I’m enduring a change or starting something new where I’m not completely sure of myself, I can be a little irritable also.  

That’s the reason I started thinking about why I need to be like a snake and shed the old “workflow” skin.  If a snake is struggling and cannot complete the shedding process, it can create a really bad life for the snake and affect its health.  When we humans fight and resist change, it can create problems for us too.  I remember times I’ve resisted some change I was undergoing or experiencing.  It was not a fun time. 

My lesson, and my goal…be like a snake and let go of the old.