Transitions are like the rainbow which appears after the storm (courtesy of pleem1983)
Everybody goes through transitions every now and then. Some are overjoyed by the experience. Others become truly terrified. These transformative phases molds and metamorphoses one, changing one either in a positive or a negative manner.
Transitions are the rites of passage which marks the end of one stage and the beginning of another. They are the indistinct stages of limbo, where one grapples with issues of identity and self-worth, while gearing up for a new role in life. Like the refining fire of a goldsmith, they can be hot and bothersome. However, they do lead towards a fresh understanding of what one’s goals and values are, making one see better in the long road of life.
Transitions can be straightforward and easy. Or they can be muddying, confusing and ill-defined. Sometimes, what may start out as a straight and well-lit path becomes a stroll through a meandering path full of pleasant diversions like wild flowers, singing birds and babbling brooks. However, they are an absolute necessity in one’s journey in humanity.
What are some of the transitions in life? They are phases which mark a distinct change in lifestyle – births, marriages, deaths, promotions, new jobs, new homes, new degrees and so on.
Some transitions can be celebratory, like the joyous cheers in a wedding dinner.
Others can seem catastrophic, like the silent sobs of a sole breadwinner losing his livelihood.
Have you experienced a recent transition in your life? How do you manage the changes that it mandates?
Since reluctantly ditching my teen-hood, I transitioned from a 20-Something to a erhem… Dirty-Something.
Looking forward to 40-something and beyond, I hope never to morph into a Nothing.
*touchwood!
It isn’t recent, but the death of my friend Gunny a decade ago made me re-evaluate a lot. I wasn’t happy in my job and I realised that if I died tomorrow, I wasn’t doing what I wanted to. I wasn’t even trying. So I thought about things a lot, and then I decided to at least try to become a writer. here I am, ten years later, working as a corporate writer for my day job, and writing novels in my free time (which are getting published). Making that transition was terrifying in a lot of ways, but staying in my rut was a worse option.
I was lucky to have had my husband Tim’s support while I went through the emotional roller coaster. It meant I was able to offer the same support to him when he went through his big transition to become a freelance travel writer!