26 Life Changing Transitions

Check out the bird.

I know the photo isn’t great. I took it out my bedroom window with my iPhone.

I’ve become obsessed with the occupants of this birdhouse.

I whistle and they come. Swear.

The Sheriff calls me the ‘bird whisperer’. He is amused with himself.

You Are In Transition

I can’t believe I’m birdwatching. Truthfully, it makes me feel old and a little crazy.

When did it happen?

Some transitions you can pinpoint, but others occur over time.

For instance, I know right now that I will not have the same job in 10 years. Maybe not even the same home. So I’m thinking, if not planning, accordingly.

I’m sure you are in transition too. After all, that’s life. One transition after another – or sometimes they overlap.

Accepting Change

Some people say they are not good with change. That’s because they fight it.

Maybe if you expected it, change would be easier to accept.

So, I started to make a list of transitions you are likely to experience in a lifetime, if for no other reason, than to underscore the importance of thinking about what’s next.

Feel free to add to it.

I’m not even going to bother including the first 18 years. And these are in no particular order, even though it may look like they are.

26 Transitions

1. High school to college. I’m starting here because it’s the first time your next step is not mapped out for you. It’s a transition to independence.
2. School to working – There is a transition that occurs when you move from being a student, to having a full-time job and answering the question ‘so what do you do?’ It’s a transition in identity.
3. Falling in love for the first time.
4. Losing your virginity. It’s not the same as falling in love. It’s about your body and trust.
5. Getting your heart broken for the first time.
6. From when most of your friends are single to when most of your friends are married.
7. From having a lot of friends to having a small circle of intimate relationships.
8. From single to married: Many people are disappointed by this transition.
9. Becoming a parent.
10. From employed to unemployed. You feel differently about people who have lost jobs, once you’ve lost yours.
11. From married to divorced.
12. From standing through the whole concert to sitting through the concert.
13. ‘Walking’ for exercise.
14. Changing careers. This is a transition you may do several times. I’m on at least three.
15. Losing someone you love. You become a different person after it happens.
16. Moving from one place to another.
17. From being healthy to being diagnosed with a serious illness.
18. From saying you believe in G-d, to actually having faith.
19. From talking about the future to talking about the past.
20. Losing your parents.
21. From working to retired.
22. From valuing only your possessions to valuing only your health.
23. From being young to being older. You’ll know when this applies to you.
24. From being attractive to becoming unattractive.
25. From being older to being old.
26. From caring what everybody thinks, to not caring what most people think.