Crossing Thresholds
“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly” ~ Leo Tzu
As the new week dawns and we draw closer to the Memorial Holiday weekend, I wanted to write today about all the young men and women who are crossing thresholds in their lives as they walk out into the midst of new adventures and challenges. Students are graduating from colleges…graduating from high schools…and moving from one grade level to the next. Students are not the only one who might find themselves in a phase of flux, the end of the school year is also the time of year when families are moving to new homes, to new communities or to new states to tackle new jobs or enjoy the start of retirement. Old friends are left behind and the prospect of making new friends looms ahead…the point is, as Spring brings renewal to the land around us so too does the end of the school year bring changes to many people as one door closes and another opens.
Change (along with death and taxes) is one of the many constants in life. Multitudes of people don’t like change because change can not only be a scary time filled with uncertainty but it can also be accompanied with loneliness and self-doubt. Yet, despite the challenges that change can bring, change also forces us outside of our comfort zone and forces a period of growth and development upon us. Without growth and development, stagnation occurs and with stagnation comes decay and the loss of purpose. I fear loss of purpose more than I fear change so when given the chance, I’ll embrace change and all its uncertainty. Today, ironically, is the anniversary of the “Great Emigration” as in 1843 over a thousand covered wagons formed the greatest wagon train ever to brave the unknown as they traveled to the untamed Oregon Territory, a 2,000 mile journey with only a hope to keep them going. Talk about stepping out on faith!
New beginnings are just that, a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate to start over again. Transitions to a new job, new school or new home are representations of the close of one chapter and the start of another one where the pages are clear and unwritten. The challenge of the unknown is having the courage to forge a new space and a new comfort zone, to find a new relevance and to make a difference in your world. This life we have is not a static adventure but a ballet that allows up to move in time and tempo to the needs of those around us. When life gives an improvised tempo or dynamic rhythm of an unfamiliar melody, the steps may shift but the dance goes on. Change happens…it will never stop. Ask yourself, what threshold(s) have you crossed in your life…and when will you walk (or run) to cross the next? I encourage you to embrace the changes that you face because that is usually the best way to adapt to them. We will always reflect on the various roads we have traveled in life, it’s human nature to do so but it is impossible to go back to that moment in time to relive them. I am the sum of my experiences just as you are the sum of yours, that is what makes us unique to each other. Our experiences are built upon the challenges we have faced and overcome through the guise of change so I say, embrace them and grow!
Thanks for reading and I hope that if you’re facing change like so many others this time of year, take heart and know that you are not alone. If the anxiety of change is more than you can handle then I suggest the help of a mental health professional to help guide you through your concerns and fears but take heart, you can make it. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I’ll be back Friday with another nugget of information, until then, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com