We want permanence; we expect permanence.
As Pema Chodron stated in "The Places That Scare You," "our natural tendency is to seek security; we believe we can find it -- using our activities as shields against the fundamental ability of our situation, expending tremendous energy trying to ward off impermanence." The daily activities I have obsessively and compulsively engaged in aimed to provide me with a sense of security. I run to avoid the way my body transforms with time. I exercise to mold and shape my body to try and control the ambiguity that life brings.
This year, I have learned that nothing is permanent.
Nothing is fixed, and everything is fleeting and impermanent. Just like I have learned to "ride the wave of emotions" (as Renfrew taught me), all experiences in life eventually pass. Physical pain, mental anguish, and discomfort all eventually pass.