One of the ways my husband convinced me to move to the Black Hills of South Dakota was by telling me how nice the weather was in the winter.  He calls it the “banana belt”  (Remember we moved from Minnesnowta.)  I fell for it hook, line and sinker. 

This morning it is 0 degrees and it snowed a little last night.  I think the bananas froze!

When you are in a familiar situation there are things that guide you.  You know what street to turn on to get to the library.  You know which shrub that the person who delivers your morning paper usually gets your paper under.  You know the route to your bathroom in the dark.  But what are the compass points that guide you when you are in a new place.

I went for a hike the other day and got lost.  All those trees, rocks and hills look remarkably the same.  Around and around I went.  To make a long story short, after going up and down yet another quite steep hill, I saw the familiar road that runs past our house.  Three hours later I made it home.  I needed a compass to point me in the right direction.

There are many things that guide me in a normal day:  the clock, my clients, my to-do list, the needs of my family and friends, my head and my heart.  Some days I am so busy reacting that I have no time to plan or to be proactive.  During times of change and transitions there needs to be a balance between the two. 

There are times, especially early on in the transition when the losses and endings are so raw that all you can do is react.  It is what you need to do in order to survive.  But if you are truly going to grow in this time of change, you need to find quiet time to think, to plan, to listen to yourself.   Spend time listening to what you heart and head are saying.  Tracking what lessons you have learned in your life and how they may apply to the current situation.  Find what your compass points are.   

For me, one of my compass points in life is learning:  new knowledge and ideas mixed in with what I already know and feel.  So maybe in addition to knowing what general direction I am walking because of the position of the sun, I need to learn how to accurately read a compass so I don’t get lost on my next hike.

Let me know what compass points are in your life.

Welcome to the Journey of Transitions blog. 

 All of us at some point in our lives make changes - we transition from the way we know and are comfortable with to a brand new way of thinking and looking.  This transition can be relatively easy and smooth all the way to remarkably difficult and rocky. 

I have co-authored a book on Change (Seasons of Change:  A Journey of Self-Discovery) and I do speaking and consulting on the topic.  Some people would say I am an expert.   But I like to think of myself more as the wounded healer.  I struggle with change as much and at times more than others.  I find myself thinking that, “I should be better at this.” 

I have been in a period of transition for the last four years.  I used to think that I should be in the remedial change group (that’s a term from my childhood that should give you some idea how old I am).  But I have started to think that maybe life is a journey and I should enjoy the ride a little instead of always trying to “figure it out” or control it or ignore it.  (Just a hint - I’ve tried them all and they don’t work too well). 

The latest transition in my life is that I’ve moved to a new locale.  I went from Minnesota to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  I went from living in a town to living in the country.  From the flat prairie to the hills.  From a blue state to a red state.  It can be quite disorientating.  I think most change and the resulting transitions can throw you for a loop.  At times it’s quite temporary - think of your favorite grocery store being remodeled.  But at other times it can feel like your world has been flipped upside-down and nothing will ever be the same.  It is frightening and painful.  Choosing to move is kinda in the middle of those two extremes. 

When I first got out here, I couldn’t even find the grocery store, much less care if the peanut butter was in a different location.  Now at least I know of two different grocery stores where I wander a little but no longer is a trip to get milk and eggs like a polar expedition.  I’ve figured out how to forward my cell phone calls.  (We don’t get cell phone service in the Hills where I live.)  I’ve gotten new business cards and letterhead with my new address on them.  So I am making progress.  Each little step you take, helps with that feeling of disorientation.  Somedays it feels like I take two steps back for each step forward.  But that is the way it works (dammit anyhow!) 

It was suggested to me that maybe I should start a blog about transitions and share what I know and what I am learning.  So I would like to invite you to join me on a journey of transition.

If you would like, please share you own stories and what you’ve learned on your own journeys.  Your lessons, struggles and successes will help others as they take their own journeys of transition.