The middle of May brings with it a multitude of opportunity for transition. Commencement seems to be a popular event this time of year. University graduation ceremonies are celebrated, high school and middle school graduations and proms are happening and children who started kindergarten this year are readying themselves for first grade. My friend Danielle completed her Master’s degree in School Counseling this week and her expression upon embracing our school’s dean was a priceless moment- she is transitioning like many of the other students in programs and schools across the country. And with transition comes growth- a quest toward self-actualization, happiness and knowledge. Baseball players transition from everyday players to designated hitters to coaches and team administrators. They take their wisdom and experience of being a ball player and contribute to the growth and experience of young athletes craving to be successful.
My 13-year-old son, Chris, is transitioning from middle school to high school from public school to private school and from tween to fourteen. Maria Shriver recently posted a video on YouTube describing what it feels like to transition and calls for others to share their experiences and how they can contribute to others in 2011.
I myself feel a need to transition from today’s mother to an individual seeking new opportunities to grow. So often mothers lose themselves in their own homes to their own children, their commitments and somewhere from here to there. Transitions are about claiming oneself in the midst of everyday disappointments or rites of passage. Some transitions are harsh, abrupt and unsettling like the sudden death of a parent or close friend. Some transitions are anticipated, and can be smooth or bumpy. No matter the course, transitions are necessary for an individual to advance in strength, maturity and wisdom. So as the opportunity bus pulls up at your stop, don’t let it pass you by because you are afraid to Attraversiamo- as Elizabeth Gilbert from the movie Eat, Pray, Love so desperately needed to do. Let yourself cross over, reinvent yourself- you will be surprised how much you can do if you just let yourself do it.
