Why Change Is So Hard (Even When We Expect It)
My daughter and I at Dinosaur in January 2026 wearing our “We DIDN”T make it” t-shirts
Change has a funny way of sneaking up on us.
Even when we know it’s coming. Even when it makes logical sense. Even when we haven’t actually been loving the thing that’s changing all that much.
Back in August of 2024, Disney announced that the ride Dinosaur would be closing in Animal Kingdom and would be rethemed to Indiana Jones. Before the announcement, the average wait time that year for Dinosaur was 14 minutes - which in Disney terms pretty means it had no wiat.
And then the announcement hit.
Suddenly, social media posts were full of people saying how much they loved Dinosaur. How underrated it was. How sad they were to see it go. Wait times shot up. Disney added multiple photographers in front of the ride for photos. Nostalgia kicked in hard.
It wasn’t that Dinosaur suddenly became better overnight. It was that change made us notice what was about to be lost.
That’s the thing about change - it forces awareness. And awareness brings emotion.
Embracing change doesn’t mean you have to have fake positivity or rush acceptance. It means staying present and intentional while things shift.
Here are three ways to do that:
Name what you’re actually grieving.
Most resistance isn’t about the change itself; it’s about losing familiarity, identity, or a sense of certainty. For me, I remember riding Dinosaur for the first time with my kids and them being terrified. There's nostalgia and memories there. You can honor what mattered without clinging to what’s ending.
Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland
Separate what’s familiar from what’s fulfilling.
Familiar doesn’t always mean meaningful. Dinosaur didn’t suddenly become the best ride because it was closing; it just became more visible. Most people skipped it when they came to Animal Kingdom. Change asks us to question whether we’re staying (or riding!) because something still fits or simply because it’s known and comfortable.
Stay curious about what’s being made possible.
Dinosaur may be closing, but that space is making room for a whole new story (or at least a copycat one from Disneyland!). I am a big Indiana Jones fan and I hope the new ride will be great. You don’t have to love what’s next. Just stay open long enough to see what it becomes. The same is often true in our own lives.
Change doesn’t mean the past was wrong. It means the story is continuing. And that uncomfortable, in-between space? That’s the squiggle. And it’s where growth begins.
