Transition

I met my daughter for lunch the other day.  We don’t do this often as she has a house full of children, a husband, and the myriad of duties mothers must perform to keep the wheels from coming off.  I am lucky that she will make the time to sit down with her father one on one.  I am positive not every father gets these opportunities. These lunches give us a chance to talk about things other than what we did yesterday or what we are planning tomorrow.  It is nice to talk about things other than schedules.  Our topic at this lunch was a challenging one ------Transitions

Transition: The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.  Sounds innocuous enough except Webster doesn’t take into account the emotional aspect of transition. His definition leaves me a little flat.  Transition in one’s life generally means a space is about to open up and that space will not be left void for long as nature abhors a void. 

What that something is or will be is what sets the anxiety meter into hyperdrive.  It can make us sad, maybe even regretful of leaving something that we loved and were comfortable with.  I have been dealing with a transition myself over the last several years.  Much of that transition was self-caused through several unfortunate decisions.  My daughter’s transition is the transition of age.  Her children, to which she has dedicated herself, are getting older and moving into different phases and eventually will move out of the house. 

The transition of age comes slowly and thus allows us to think about what might be the most fulfilling new occupant.   Rather than bemoaning that which is departing, a more positive exercise would be to look for something to fill that space before it becomes empty.  Easier said than done for sure, but possibly a more fruitful pursuit than hanging on or fearing the inevitable.  The past is always easier to hold on to because we are familiar with it.  The future is not assured, yet we can certainly attempt to make plans.  As usual, it is the present that is the hardest.  Yet it is where we can be the most effective.  It also has the added benefit of not allowing us to be sad over the past or anxious about the future.  It is the place we can be the most effective and the happiest.  Her children and my life are right now.  She and I agreed to discipline ourselves to make the most of it. We are thankful for the opportunity and will smile while it happens.

Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance, you must keep moving ---- Albert Einstein