Change not only was inevitable, but usually brought its own rewards.

The line frames change as a double truth: it cannot be avoided, and it often carries unexpected benefits. Rather than treating change as mere loss or disruption, it suggests a mature, forward-looking stance—adaptation can open new possibilities, deepen character, or reveal rewards that were invisible from the vantage point of the old life. The phrasing also implies a retrospective wisdom, as if the speaker has lived through upheaval and learned that resisting change is less fruitful than meeting it with openness. In a broader sense, it aligns with a common theme in romantic and coming-of-age narratives: transformation is the price of time, but also the mechanism by which growth and renewal occur.