Let's talk about – Seasonal Transitions
I am online for most of my waking hours. It’s a weird realization but it’s true. I rarely get surprised or excited by much anymore with the dam-bursting amount of new content I see every day. One post stopped me in my tracks the other day. Arranged in lettered beads was the phrase:
“Remember when you wanted what you have today.”
Think about that. This isn’t a new concept, the idea of being grateful for what you have especially in comparison to when you didn’t have it before. But, I was surprised at how relevant it was to me in that moment.
This week was my first week with two less classes than before. I had been looking forward to this week since the day I registered for the course (in April!). It was hard juggling all those courses and I was constantly motivated by the refuge of the weeks after, filled with endless free time and relaxation.
It was already the third day after the classes were over when I read that Instagram post. I hadn’t in fact found myself with more free time or relaxation. I was feeling a bit less stressed but was filling my extra time with much needed sleep. This wasn’t the fun, relaxing end of semester I signed up for.
“We don’t know for sure how long we’ll be in this season or when we may return again. We can only make the most of where we are now and give ourselves the time to transition. ”
I remembered how much I wanted to be where I was right now and how much I had hoped for myself in that time. If I didn’t do my best to make these weeks as enjoyable as possible, then what was the point of working so hard the weeks before? I needed to switch gears in order to thrive in this new season I was in.
Transitioning between seasons takes time and discomfort.
When we are working to figure things out, whether that be the new daily routine or office floor-plan, we will always face some friction as we learn what works and what doesn’t. It’s a natural part of the process, of course, but also one that’s easy to forget.
During the weeks of busy schedules and school coming before all else, I made a list of what I wanted to do when I was done. It had activities like cooking fun meals and hanging out with my friends more often. These weren’t big things, but they were the moments I thought about when I was in the season prior. These were the hopes I had and the elements I knew would make this season good for me.
Part of this transition is putting into place the things we want for each new season. For me, that meant scheduling in these activities and making sure I had the time to do it all. My priorities had changed, and I needed to change my behavior to match.
It’s important to remember that each season of our lives is valuable in it’s own right. We don’t know for sure how long we’ll be in this season or when we may return again. We can only make the most of where we are now and give ourselves the time to transition. Face the friction and get through the discomfort. Once we arrive at our routine, the real season can begin.
