The word Transition, is defined as “a passage, movement, development, or evolution from one state, stage, subject, or place to another.” It can sound so sterile, so easy. Like walking from point A to point B. However, when we start getting into the circumstances where transition really takes place, things can get messy. Transitioning from diapers to “big boy” or “big girl” pants for babies. Transitioning from middle school to high school, or to college. Transitioning to being married. Transitioning to having a child. Transitioning from being hidden to being more open about one’s sexual identity. Transitioning from living in an apartment to moving into your first home. Transitioning from work life to life in retirement. Transitioning from independence to a nursing home. And, finally transitioning from life into death…and beyond.
You see, I believe that one of the certainties in life (besides death and taxes) is transition. We are continuously in a state of transition. And, as I have read about transition, it is a process that takes the normal progression of beginning-middle-end and flips it around: end-middle-beginning. Transition can be about letting go of something first, maybe life as we have known it, before we can enter into some new “place.” And letting go can be hard work. Having to let go of the familiar or the things that we have become attached to can be exhausting and frightening. For good or for bad, that is how we have come to know life, our life.
What needs to happen in this period of transition is a recalling and reminding of who we are and where we are heading. The “who we are” is a look back at how we have developed and become. It reminds us of our strengths and the moments when we learned about life, ourselves, and other people. In the end, my hope is that the look back will give us a glimpse of the person we have become through our life experiences. We need these reminders as we move forward into the unknown and the unfamiliar. We need to remember that we carry our history with us as we transition into our new “place.” The “ending” that we begin with can be an exercise in recognizing who we are, and to let go of the things that might be holding us back and making us small! A purging of sorts!
Any time of transition can be time of cleansing or “detoxing” ourselves so that we can move ahead with a lighter load, with the things that are most important for us as we move into our new life. I find myself doing this, physically, as my partner and I prepare to move from our apartment to our new home. We are purging the things that we are not needing anymore….things that have sat in storage for the last 3 years and haven’t been touched….things that we just don’t need anymore….things that need to go because they are not part of our future.
In times of transition, we long for some clarity. We need help in finding our way. Part of finding that way is beginning with the things that need to come to an end. The things that we no longer need so that we can “lighten our load.” Purging of the things around us and in us that are too burdensome for us and for where we are going.
Now…Get Out And Live (GOAL) by starting to cleanse your “home” of the things that are getting in the way or weighing you down! Move away from the parts of you that need to go because they are keeping you small, keeping you safe. Life is meant to be an adventure and lived! Start finding your way by lightening the load a bit!