The Power of Transition

Transition - The act of passing from
one state or place to the next

One thing is a given in this world we live in: change. It's inevitable, whether we welcome it or not. We can embrace it or deal with it kicking and screaming. Life is more productive and enlightening if we embrace it.

It is a challenging time for so many people in my universe these days, as well as for myself. Two recent incidents have put "change" high on my radar screen.

Angel and Jasmine
I had two parakeets, Angel and Jasmine, that I adored. Jasmine became very ill and was suffering from a tumor in her abdomen, which was so uncomfortable that she was perched on one tiny leg, with her beak wrapped around a bar in her cage for balance. Her condition worsened and the bird doctor, a very kind and gentle man, advised me that I should have her put to sleep, as her condition was not going to improve. The selfish part of me wanted her to be here as long as possible, but my love for her inspired me to do the right thing. I cried on the way to the vet, I cried as they took her into the back room and I cried in my car before I drove away from the office. I felt guilty, as if I should have been able to save her. That was my way of thinking; that part of me that wants to "control" the situation. I know she was just a little bird, but she had personality and I enjoyed her very much. I had to transition from a situation I thought I had control of (I feed you, sing to you and love you and you stick around and be a part of my world) to acknowledging that the time had come for Jasmine to cross over and I have no control over that. I know she is in peace and painless, flying around effortlessly with the other birds in birdie heaven. I had to let go. I had to transition into another way of thinking.

The Little Car That Could (until it couldn't anymore)
The second transition was of a material nature. I had to get a new car. I loved my old one; it was a no-frills, ten-year old Saturn that had well over 100,000 miles on it. I had to roll the windows down manually and actually unlock the door with a key. But she (her name was Sheri Donte--naming my car is a whole other story) was dependable and I wholeheartedly appreciated her. But, alas, nothing lasts forever. My handyman told me that I was on the verge of needing a new alternator and as the car sputtered and dared to stop all the way to work on I95, it became a safety issue. I'd had every intention of "saving" for the eventual new car, which never happened. How things can change in a day. I went from driving my Saturn and having no car payment, which I loved, to finding a new car, getting a loan and adding a monthly payment to my budget. The "transition" from old to new didn't come easy or immediately. I spent the first few days in the new car looking at it as a burden (OK-even we Positivoligists are human). New car, new financial responsibilities. But I woke up on day three with a new attitude and new appreciation. It was really a blessing. It's a great car (Kia Forte) with high marks in all the important categories (safety, gas mileage). Now my voyage from place to place would be made in safety. A high credit score and little debt made it easy to get a loan and deals on cars these days are stellar. Also, it's been so long since I purchased a car that all of the standard stuff seems like major perks to me. With the remote lock, car alarm, blue tooth capability, ability to play my IPOD in the car and Sirius radio, I'm like a kid in the candy store. I know my new car (who is named "Sophia", which means Wisdom,) is meant to take me on numerous, exciting adventures. She's a gift and my "transition" in thinking now reminds me of that. Transition our thoughts and we transition our lives.

What's Your Transition Doorway?
What attitude, habits and/or non-productive ways of thinking are you ready to say "goodbye" to? Are you ready to transition, by way of action, to a happier way of living? It all starts with our thought process. Release whatever is not serving you for your highest good. Remember, what you put out to the universe is what the universe sends back. Ask to be open-hearted, ask to receive abundance (which comes in so many ways) and tell yourself that you are worthy, because you are. Once you can embrace that way of thinking/feeling, all sorts of amazing things will manifest in your life.

 

Quotes About Transition/Change

"Nothing is secure but life, transition,
the energizing spirit."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
Andy Warhol

"Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me."
Carol Burnett

"Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis."
Martha Beck, O Magazine, Growing Wings, January

Nothing endures but change.
Heraclitus (540 BC - 480 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers

"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not."
James Gordon, M.D.

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman Vincent Peale (1898 - 1993)

HAPPY
HAPPY
HAPPY
SEPTEMBER!!!!!!

Change Your Thoughts and
You Change Your Life

A special thank you to Pat Durner for her help with this newsletter. You are appreciated!