Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Transition!

The word from my heart pocket is Transition.

It can be a confusing time, transition. It can also be exciting and scary and full of adventure. We slip and slide and wing it. We are definite one day and unsure the next. The unknown is glaring when what we planned disappears or doesn't look and feel the way we imagined. Transition begins with a plan or a trauma or when there has been avoidance for a very long time. Sometimes the transition is welcomed with open arms. We can resist it, other times, kicking and screaming the entire way. 

Transition doesn't have to be large. Small transitions take us across the street, to a handshake or a hug, to a place of organization or where there is, at last, time to read or tend the garden.  

Transition can be huge. It can turn us upside down and inside out. When we feel we are being left behind, it is good to stop a moment to get our bearings, to clear the mind, to feel the earth beneath our feet. Since transition is a kind of shift, it's good to have touchstones along the way; familiarity of some kind. It can come from the voices of friends and family, from favorite foods or music that moves us. Little ones like to take their blankie to day care. It's a bit of home meant for comfort in an unfamiliar surroundings. The blanket is soon saved only for naptime as new friends are made and safety is apparent. 

Traumatic times can be frightening and if we are unsure of ourselves in the face of change, this transition time can paralyze the mind. We are not paralyzed. We are allowing ourselves this comfort space because what is imagined is too hard to face. The antidote is movement, albeit, baby steps. One thing, one day at a time. Overwhelm and self-doubt get bigger and bigger if we let them. If we were to draw a picture (it helps to do this), we would be very small, like we were a tiny gnat about to be swallowed by a big monster. This reaction to a sudden transition takes time, especially when we are someone not practiced in the art of change. One of the certainties about transition is that the longer we stay in the tunnel of it, the longer we experience it. The sooner we move to the other side, the more quickly the anxiety of it disappears. The beauty of transition is that we are in charge of how it happens. It might not feel that way at first, but that is the truth. There is always choice, even when we don't see it. It is there, standing tall, waiting to be called by name.

The world is transitioning right now which has caused transitions for its inhabitants. It is an odd transition because we are moving forward at the speed of light and in doing so, finding the need to include ideas and thinking from a by-gone era. Young ones are discovering them as new. Old ones are finding solace in the affirmation of their lives. A renaissance is emerging. Creativity is taking a front seat again, ready to assist when we feel stuck and unsure. It is the greatest resource we have during a time of transition. It never sleeps. It grows in size the more we use it. It is present in all aspects of living, available to parents and teachers, managers and entrepreneurs. It delights in the art of all of life ... and in particular, transition.