Transitions: Tuesday's Reflection

Recent days have felt more like a transition from August to September than July to August. Something in the air. A tired, worn out green on some of the trees. My pots of basil begging for harvesting. And, of course, school supplies taking over a big section in Target. 

I know the temperatures are climbing back up to high 80's here in St Paul this week, but still, the sand in the summer hourglass is flowing from top to bottom faster than a couple weeks ago. 

We are in the midst of a seasonal transition.

But isn't that always the case? Aren't we always moving closer to the next season? 

And isn't that the case in our lives as well? Aren't we always in some kind of transition? 

We tend to think of the big transitions in our lives. Moving from one house or city or state to another. Saying goodbye to colleagues at one job and getting to know others as you start a new job. Or ending our work lives and thinking about what retirement might offer.

Some transitions are less obvious. Healing physically or emotionally, for example. One day at a time you may notice you have a bit more energy or experience less pain or sense of loss. The change may not be--probably won't be--in even increments and there may be set backs, but something is happening. 

We open and shut doors and cross the threshold from one room to another. We end one activity and start another many times a day. We greet someone and then say goodbye as we make our daily rounds of grocery shopping or exercising or carpooling. We turn the page of a book or newspaper or scroll down through emails or Facebook posts. 

Julia Cameron says in her book Transitions, Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life 
                
                  All life can be expansive in potential. The
                  choice is ours. As I open my heart to accept
                  change, my heart softens and grows larger.
                  Every experience carries the seed of
                  transformation. Every event can bring blossoming
                  and wealth. My personal will can resist change 
                  or embrace it. The choice is mine and determines
                  the life I will have. p. 3

It is in the in-between time, however brief, however tiny the transition is, that we learn how to be present. We learn how to be in the fullness, the wholeness of our lives. 

An Invitation
In what ways are you in transition now? I would love to know. 

BONUS: Here's an antidote to the article I mentioned in my post on Thursday, July 26th. Signs of hope. Read it here.