Transitions

Transitions are a tricky thing. I have found myself falling into different patterns with transitions over the years, with the predominant one being move forward full speed ahead until you crash. Juggling multiple hats every day all day means that I regularly am met with multiple transition points throughout my day. At it’s worst, it looks like me flying in on two wheels (literally and figuratively) into a meeting, a session, a consultation, the pick up line at my kids school, my kids sports practice, into my driveway to start dinner, and then even flopping myself into my bed with a hard and fast transition to prepare for sleep. At it’s best, it looks like me taking a deep breath, ending on time, starting on time, slowly entering the space in a mindful way, sometimes actually leading a mindfulness for all involved, doing a closure ritual, connecting with my kids about their day, involving them in dinner prep, taking my time to prepare for sleep.

As I reflect, when I do not transition well sessions tend to not go as well, consultations end with no resolution, I feel more task oriented and less connection oriented at home and someone usually gets their feelings hurt (including me). Thus, the purpose of today’s blog….I’m writing to myself here. Transition well. End my sessions on time, so I can do my note, or start my note to close out that session. Take a deep breath, maybe do a short stretch, move to the next appointment. For particularly hard sessions, it might look like closing my door after they leave, offering a prayer on their behalf, and releasing it to something greater than me, then stretching, taking a deep breath, literally releasing it, then transition to the next appointment. At the end of my work day, finishing all my necessary paperwork for the day, closing down my office in a slow, intentional way. Maybe it looks like saying a prayer over the seat people sat in all day as I turn off the lamp by that seat. Maybe it’s saying a short prayer over my seat as I turn off the lamp by my chair. Maybe it’s saying ‘you did the best you could today, and its up to them’ as I begin to shut things down. Maybe it continues as I Lock up, walk out of the building and begin to transition my thinking towards home. Maybe it’s then slowing my breathing on my drive, being intentional about releasing stress, and if I’m late, I’m being slow in my entrance into tardiness. Maybe it looks like creating a ritual when I get home to transition me home, like changing my clothes, putting away my devices, asking specific connection questions of those around me. Then maybe it’s being intentional about my transitioning from tucking my children into bed, to then turning towards my spouse and myself, and being intentional about being present to both of us, as I slowly make the transition towards rest.

So today I challenge myself, and maybe you hear the challenge too…..choose to transition. Find the moments to close something before you open the next. Be intentional, create ritual, and finally remember you can slow down and things still get done.