Transition

I was going to write about the frenetic weekend. It was going to be about how remarkable it was that I appreciated and enjoyed each part of it and how difficult (and surprising) that was considering it was booked solid. Somehow, I was able to BE there for each part. And it was great. I was going to provide more details, of course.

But this morning, my best friend sent me the speech she gave as she moved into the largest volunteer role in history. (maybe not in history, I admit, but definitely in my world!) The speech was beautiful. It talked about transition. Of individuals and as a group. I wish I’d been there to hear the delivery. (But sadly, it’s 1,200 miles away.)

Transition.

Who isn’t in transition in some way?

My friend wrote:

“Transition, as defined by Webster, is passage from one form to another. Linguistically, a transition is a word or phrase connecting one part of a conversation to another.

In music, a transition is a passage connecting two themes or sections.

In sports, transition is the process of changing from defense to offense or offense to defense. “

The thesaurus shows these as synonyms of transition:

alteration, changeover, conversion, development, evolution, flux, growth, metamorphosis, metastasis, passage, passing, progress, progression, realignment, shift, transformation, transit, transmutation, turn, turning point, upheaval

The connotations (and even denotations) are really varied. Some positive (growth), some not so much (metastasis). Some subtle (passage) and some radical (upheaval).

So as my friend transitions into her new role, she prepares for the shift in her life and of those around her. Change can be hard. But it doesn’ t have to be. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. We can go kicking and screaming or find the positive aspects of the change. I don’t know anyone who thinks change is easy. But I surely have people in my life who find the nuggets of joy in everything – whether it’s a shift or it’s upheaval. And I strive for that in my life.

So as I transition from a busy and very fun weekend back to yet another work week, I choose to think of my life as a connection of two themes – not opposing sides like offense and defense. I want to hold onto the enthusiasm that made the weekend so great and use it to be better in my other roles.