Someone once said the only thing constant is change.

Change – on many different levels – is a part of all of our lives,and I’ve been dealing with my share lately.

I guess from a reader’s standpoint one obvious change is that I’mfilling this column space this week and handling some duties ofthis section instead of Tammie Brewer, our former Lifestyles editorwho is now our Graphics Department manager. Tammie is embracing herchange well and I’m happy for her.

On a personal level, one change I’m going through has been thesubject of many of my conversations lately.

After more than 19 years of apartment living in Brookhaven, I’vejoined the ranks of the city’s homeowners. Some family-relatedissues in my hometown of Vicksburg, homebuyer incentives andhistorically low interest rates spurred me to give up the placeI’ve been at for about the last 15 years.

I quickly learned one thing as I went about the process of changingresidences: one can accumulate a lot of stuff in 15 years. That andgoing up and down four flights of steps gets old reallyquick.

Fortunately, I was able to take a little time off recently to movemy old stuff and get my new stuff situated. I’m not totally thereyet, but I’ve made good progress.

While I’m still feeling the physical labor effects of that change,there’s another that’s looming on the horizon.

You see, there’s this big patch of green stuff in my new backyard.I think it’s called grass and I think I have to cut it prettyregularly.

At my old apartment, the backyard consisted of, well, there wasn’tone.

I haven’t cut grass since I helped Mom back when I was a teenager.I haven’t gotten a lawnmower yet, but I should be changing thatpretty soon.

I’ve been spending nights in the new home for about the last weekor so and there’s another change I’m having to adjust to.

That involves getting up a little earlier in the morning to make itto work on time because I don’t live two blocks away anymore. I’m afew blocks farther away and I’m trying out different routes to seewhich is the quickest, and that may change once schools starts backin a few weeks.

As I’ve talked about my new home with some friends, I’ve noticed amischievous smile come across some of their faces. Those smileshave been followed up with predictions of appliance breakdowns,plumbing issues and other troublesome aspects of homeownership.

Their point was that instead of calling the landlord, getting thoseissues addressed will now be my responsibility. That’s a change Ihope I don’t have to encounter any time soon.

While change is often uncertain, it can also be a time forexcitement and nervousness.

I’m not a big embracer of change, but neither am I greatlyresistant to it. I just prefer to have some idea of what to expectas I go through it and how things are going to look like when it’sdone.

Although change related to national and world events can beworrisome, I like to think any change in my corner of the worldwill ultimately be positive. That’s certainly the case as I settlein to my new home.

That’s all for now.

Write to Matt Coleman at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602, or sende-mail to mcoleman@dailyleader.com.