It was so nice of Melissa to ask me to guest blog this week. I was thinking about topics to do and the first one I came up with is…drum roll, please…
Transitions.
Some people don’t seem to have any trouble with transitions. They just flit seamlessly from one activity or life stage to another. Me? Not so much!
I got to thinking about this yesterday when Janelle and I were stopping by McDonald’s to get her a decaf and me a lemonade (warning: don’t get in the afternoon beverage habit because it can get pricey!). Anyway, after the cashier gave us our order, I was taken back to my daily morning decaf on the way to work. It was a lovely morning ritual, stopping by McDonald’s and taking my decaf out to the back of the school to drink it as I greeted the students at 7:15 in the morning. I am happy to be on summer vacation, but that smell of the decaf made me long for those fun school days of yore (OK, of just two days ago, but you get my point!). And, it’s not like I retired or something; I’ll be back at it in no time.
So, I started to think about other transitions in my life and realized I have always been this way. Going to college required an entire semester for me to adjust. I shed tears on my wedding day, not just of happiness, but of nostalgia for my old life. As the kids got older, I would fret about what I would do when they got out of this stage or that stage. Nevermind that it always worked out. I just couldn’t help myself and got nostalgic.
So, one topic for me to examine this summer is my newly discovered aversion to transitions. After all, isn’t each ending a new beginning?
Are transitions hard for you? What life transitions do you remember the most? Which ones made the biggest impact on you?