Transition. What emotion does that word evoke in you?
If you are like me, it likely welcomes a mix of all things bittersweet – anticipation, sadness, excitement, fear, hope, anxiety and joy. Going from something familiar to something new, or moving between two things, or bridging a gap, most often requires us to let go of something in order to grasp something else – be it physical, mental or emotional.
Dictionary.com defines Transition as: “movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another.”
As I consider my own life, I think there are two kinds of transitions. The key is to recognize which one you are facing and to honor it accordingly in your life. . .
Some transitions are to be savored. Savored like the tender kiss on the last day of camp, bidding goodbye to your summer love before returning to the reality of High School. (Don’t worry Dad, I never actually had a boyfriend at summer camp.)
We savor transitions from the things that gave us pleasure in life. We strive to soak in all the goodness as we leave, so that we can treasure the memories, lessons and experiences. I am someone who, on moving day, sentimentally walks through every room of the empty apartment or house, recalling the precious memories I wish to keep of time spent in that space of my life. As these transition call us to embrace the new, they first beckon us to slow down enough to savor that which we are leaving and to revel in the resulting passageway to the next thing. We carry the essence of these transitions with us, whilst still creating ample space for the new things to bloom in our life.
Other transitions are to be swift. Swift like the Tri-athlete who moves quickly from wetsuit to cycling shoes, not wanting to lose one second of transition time to the competition.
We benefit to move swiftly through transitions that require immediate attention or that cause great pain to ourselves or others. Sometimes life throws things our way that we must simply catch without stopping to contemplate what we are dropping in order to receive it with open arms. Or we are coming out of a place of pain by which a swift transition is the best way to begin healing.
Have you ever gotten emotionally stuck while trying to savor a transition that should have been swift? Such as the 1st day Kindergarten mom whose tear-stained face is pressed against the classroom window while her child stares back at her with a confused smile as if to say “Mom, I’m excited! Why are you standing there crying?!”
Or have you regretted moving too quickly through a transition that you later wish you’d lingered upon? Such as the parent who simply rushes their child up to bed instead of stopping to sincerely appreciate and ask about the creative picture the child is so busy drawing.
Perhaps managing life’s many transitions smoothly is partly done by simply recognizing if it is meant to be savored or swift, and responding accordingly.
Regardless, the transition will come and go. The opportunity is in how we embrace and respond to the actual passageway of moving from old to new. . .
