I can’t help but think lately that life is a constant string of transitions.
We spend most of our lives moving from one phase to another: from youth to adulthood, from school to work, from one relationship to another, from one job to another…our movement is constant and sure. That’s not to say that we don’t enjoy each phase as we live through it. But eventually, we have to pick up and move on. We cannot stay in one place forever – at least not if we intend to grow and develop as human beings. Standing water only becomes stagnant and the path not traveled is a lonely one indeed.
These transitions often seem to crop up just when we’ve gotten comfortable where we are. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s best if we don’t let life catch up to us for too long. Maybe it’s best if transition and change happen before we’re quite ready to move on. I have a mug here on my desk that tells me “Life begins outside your comfort zone.” Maybe it does. If we aren’t prompted to move along through life, it is much to easy to settle into the right now and see it as a final destination, rather than a stop along the journey.
And life really must be a journey.
Many of the transitions in my life over the last few years have been ill-timed (or so it seemed) and thrust upon me suddenly. A few have happened far too late, it seems. In the end, I think they all happen with purpose, even if we cannot see it right away. And so I suppose I’m thankful for these changes, no matter how ill-timed they may seem because they all move me forward. Perhaps change finds us because it is time. Perhaps it isn’t life that changes at all…perhaps we change.
. . .
This weekend, I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed sleep. I don’t know that we ever quite “catch up” but at least I was able to get a significant amount of it, something that has not been true for many weeks.
I am glad to be caught up on all of my contract work. It’s a nice feeling to be “finished” for the moment. Of course, there is always a bit of fear beneath the surface that the next job won’t come…but I’m trying not to think about that.
I am thankful for friends who offer support and advice. Sarah, Kristi, my Sister…thanks for your input and for just being a sounding board.
Yesterday was a gorgeous spring-like day. Today is a darkish rainy day. Both are awesome.
I am thankful not only for the restorative effects of good sleep, but also for the restorative effects of tea and good food.
Cats. Believe it or not, I’m thankful for the Rottens. They keep my feet and my heart warm and they are great nap partners. They help me work, too, which is kind of nice. Although I am starting to think that I spend far too much time alone with cats here during the day…
I’m thankful for my family. Even in weeks when things aren’t going as smoothly as we’d like, we are able to work through the rough spots somehow and come out better for it on the other side.
I am thankful for the 1000 Voices for Compassion movement. I’ve talked about that here in my post for this month’s link-up in which we are celebrating one year of compassion. Give it a read and then click over to the link-up to check out more. http://www.themeaningofme.com/celebrating-one-year-compassion-1000speak-post/
I am thankful that this list is finished and that there is a frozen homemade dinner in the freezer for tonight. I’m off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday afternoon.
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This post was previously published on The Meaning of Me and is republished on Medium.
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