New Beginnings

As a newcomer to the East Coast I am struck by the ramifications of spring. When we arrived in Washington DC, snow was still falling and the flora was a gray/brown hue. Inches of snow covering earth and our new cottage was a delightful respite from the dull almost sadness of this winter landscape. Someone accurately described how snow makes everything silent, which I believe includes, at least momentarily, our inner critic. A project for next winter is to test this theory. The working title is The Om Project, a study in the quiet space of snow.

The sight of bulbs poking through the soil, still kissed with fresh snow is divine and allows me to ponder the cycles of nature and how they truly reflect aspects of transition in our lives. Transition can be a painful birth, for many one that refuses to come to a conclusion. The choices we make in transition can affect our future. Our commitment to a single outcome although noble can be the cause of our suffering.
Many in our community are in transition. Upheaval is a common thread - loss of job and home are painful shocks to stability. When crisis strikes friends, family and often strangers are called upon to find ways to offer support. When faced with major heartache everyday functioning can become a matter of survival.
Yet for the majority of us transition takes on a less dramatic life altering appearance. Transitions can begin with realization that one's career path is unfulfilled, a relationship has become bewildering, connections with friends or family seem distant, or vital goals have not been explored. These are the pains that hound us throughout life and push us to enter into transition.

As we come face to face with the immovable force of our dissatisfaction we are at choice, do we accept the status quo, or, shall we roll up our sleeves and accept change is underway. Fear of entering into a change environment is often driven by real alarm of losing a comfortable way of living, yet our comfort zone has already been compromised. As a coach I encourage stepping away from the spotlight of familiarity, try to wriggle and squirm with the discomfort, and gradually look into the mirror of reality. As we enter more deeply into acceptance what we may see reflected back, though uncomfortable, can reward us with a passionate motivation to ask meaningful questions that support a deeper commitment to our higher/truthful/integrity self.

Transition includes the dismantling of some certainties, oftentimes spending time in a void of unfamiliarity. We experience this when leaving a job or partner. I recently was in a void with experiences of death (strangers and loved ones), leaving my home in California and relocating to the East Coast. I felt a dark and ominous void, physically dense with sticky emotion, equilibrium was lost and I waver between “the devil and the deep blue sea”. 

Upon reflection this is the stuff of humanity, our ancestors living in caves created art and language that evolved into mythology as a means of being with the unknown. There is light at the end of most journeys, as with the legendary tales, transition has a conclusion.A healthy and critical ingredient is to nurture patience with self and others while between places of satisfaction. Rather than live in a perpetual state of transition use discipline to create private spaces of inner tranquility. Change is inevitable yet allowing the mind and soul ample time for rejuvenation is vital.