All About Transition: Wardrobe, Seasons, and Life

Every new season creates an opportunity for transition. At the most basic level, the weather goes through a transformation with each new season, in particular when you live in a climate that experiences four distinct seasons. As we enter each new season, we talk about transitioning our wardrobes. As warm blooded mammals we must clothe our bodies in apparel that is comfortable for temperatures that range from the frigid cold of winter where the air can feel well below zero degrees Fahrenheit to heat and humidity in excess of 100 degrees in the summer months. It is a huge range of temperatures that are quite uncomfortable for the human body except for that sweet spot of about 60-75 degrees. This teeny tiny range is where most humans are comfortable. Outside of that range, we become too hot or too cold and must use our clothing as a means to reach a comfort zone. So we dress differently and transition our wardrobes as the seasons change throughout the year.  We become methodical about it, switching out our clothes with each season.  It is a cyclical transition that we have become quite used to.  Mundane, sometimes annoying, totally necessary, so we just go through the motions and make the switch, fully anticipating that we will have to do it again in about 6 months.

But what about life transitions? How do we change in order to accommodate all of the mysteries of this world as we encounter them. With each new day and every new season, we are faced with new and different challenges. Some challenges we may have expected and even anticipated. Others may come at us unsuspectingly and throw us completely off guard. We must remain flexible in our approach to how we handle every situation in life. We must be willing to change and make transitions when necessary, otherwise we get stuck in a sort of quagmire of uncertainty. While uncertainty can oftentimes leave us immobile, eventually we have to make a choice, commit to it, and move forward. Moving forward is always best. Life is too short to make decisions that will move us in reverse.  We should approach these changes the same way we approach transitioning our closets…it’s annoying, sometimes challenging, but completely necessary.  We would all be hot messes (literally) if we didn’t switch out our winter clothes when summer rolled around and we would be risking our lives if we didn’t bring out our warm clothes when the cold sets in. So how can we make other transitions in life with the same ease as we do our wardrobes?

“Transitions themselves are not the issue, but how well you respond to their challenges!” -Jim George

 

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” -Henri Bergson

 

“When you are transitioning to a new season of life, the people and situations that no longer fit you will fall away.” -Mandy Hale

 

“Life is a transition from one form to another. The life of this world is the material for a new form.” -Leo Tolstoy

 

“When shifts and transitions in life shake you to the core, see that as a sign of greatness that’s about to occur.” -Anonymous

Some of life’s transitions come in the form of inner work on one’s self. Other transitions occur in our daily routines, our exercise, eating, and sleeping habits. Sometimes we develop new interests and hobbies while old ones become extinct. We reprioritize as our obligations and responsibilities shift. We form new opinions as old belief systems start to feel antiquated and uneducated. We constantly strive to better ourselves and as we progress on that particular journey, transition is inevitable. Sometimes we are forced into these transitions and other times we simply choose them for the betterment of our lives and those around us. It can mean forging new friendships while allowing other relationships to die, recognizing the value in all of them but making the decisions that feel right for you in that moment. It can mean facing your fears and accomplishing things that you once thought impossible. Transition manifests in an infinite number of forms each and every day.  Similar to the way fashion trends come and go, we get rid of what no longer works for us and fill our space with the things that are more suitable to our lifestyle right now. An exceptionally loved article of clothing suddenly falls apart and we are forced to replace it.  Sure, it might make us a little sad to say good-bye to a beloved item, but we do it without much resistance, finding an adequate replacement that we will grow to love just the same.

“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.” -Ann Landers

 

“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” -Isaac Asimov

 

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” -Jim Rohn

 

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” -Anonymous

 

“Any transition is easier if you believe in yourself and your talent.” -Priyanka Chopra

 

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -John F. Kennedy

We must recognize the moments when transition becomes necessary. Just as we recognize when the weather has turned colder and it is time for a sweater.  Then we must decide how the heck we are going to handle those moments. We look for ways to do it gracefully. Sometimes, it is as easy as just grabbing a coat.  Other times, many times, there may be no ease and no grace involved. It is all too often a very ugly process that may involve pain and tears and heartbreak. But yet, we forge ahead the best way we can and hope for brighter light at the end. And if we stick to it, we can find our way through.  The summer will always turn into fall. And fall into winter. Winter into spring.  And then we come full circle back to summer again.  Always. Inevitably. Without doubt. And the same is true of life.  We make the transitions. Each and every one of them. In our own way. And we always get to the other side.

“Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation or self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won’t work, because it doesn’t take.” -William Bridges

 

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” -Nikki Giovanni

How do you approach the changing seasons of life? Or just the changing seasons in general? Do you resist every step of the way or do you embrace it for all that it can teach you?

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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