So it's graduation time. This past weekend we attended several graduation celebrations. And I was reminded of how quickly time flies. As I sat and looked at my oldest daughter and her anxious words of, " I can't wait to start kindergarten next year!" echoed in my ears, I wondered how we can let go and send them on their way without crying and hanging on forever. Then as the speaker brought me back to reality with words of congratulations and well wishes, I realized that this graduation is a bittersweet moment. As will be that first day I walk away from my daughter as she sits proudly in her seat in her new classroom.
So how do you look at transition in your life? All of these graduates are at a transition point in their lives that is bigger then anything they have ever faced. They are about to cross the threshold of their future and transition into a whole new world. Yes, it is bittersweet. Most transitions are. But as you look back after experiencing them, aren't most of them for the better? I recently heard a man by the name of David Koons say, "This or Something Better." And I put a lot of thought into that, because the way I see it, each transition is the opportunity to change. It is the opportunity to start new, to redefine yourself. It is the chance of a lifetime. You get to choose if you want to stay with this, or strive for something better. If you make up your mind what you want, and work hard, it will come to you, or maybe even something better.
It would be unhealthy to stay stuck in a rut that got you nothing but the same results. I know that the day I let my little girl go into that kindergarten classroom will be the day I start letting go of her so that she can transition into something beautiful. Will it be hard? "Hell Yes!" But will it be necessary? "Oh yeah!" We can't stay stuck where we are for fear of what is to come. Life's transitions, although bittersweet at times, are a necessary part of life.
To the graduates out there, I wish you courage to attack your future and be whomever you want to be. And to those of you stuck wondering where you will go at your next crossroads, and allowing fear to hold you back, I encourage you to look me up. Transition is sometimes scary but it doesn't have to be done alone.
