As we head into September, the word 'transition' has been on my mind. There are some things I like about winter, like our fireplace, and soup and roast dinners. But still, around this time of the year, I start thinking, "bring on summer!" My daffodils are out, and so are the magnolia blooms, and the trees on my street are starting to sprout green stuff. I can go for a run at 6.30am and it’s not pitch dark, and it’s warm enough in the mornings that we don’t have to freeze waiting for our pathetic bar heater to warm the room up. 

At the same time our 13-month-old is transitioning from baby to toddler. She’s not quite walking yet but she’s on the go, crawling into all sorts of out-of-bounds places. Today I discovered her holding an empty tin can and peering in curiously at the ants―great. Last week she took her woolly hat off when she was playing outside. I said, “No Charlotte, put your hat on. It’s cold out here.” She looked straight at me and put the hat back on. Amazing!

We’re transitioning on the employment front too. A week after my husband handed in his notice, my employers came to me to tell me they were restructuring and had to let me go. Okay, so was that an uncanny coincidence or is Someone up to Something? Is it an excuse to panic, or a chance to look out for new and exciting opportunities? It all comes down to your perspective. 

I’ve been reminded of some wise advice someone gave me once: Don’t make permanent decisions in a temporary storm. At that time, I was being offered my dream job, and I was about to turn it down. My current place of employment was going through a rocky period and my boss was hoping I would stay to provide stability. Thanks to the advice, I took the dream job. A few months later my old employer was back on track and not in need of me anyway. I’m glad now that I didn’t lose an opportunity because of a temporary storm. 

What’s the weather like in your world at the moment? Stormy or calm? You only have to take a look at the current weather patterns around the country to know that no matter how violent the storm, the sunshine always comes out in the end. The trick is not to make decisions that will permanently affect your life while you’re in the middle of a storm. Maybe it’s walking out on a spouse because you’ve had a blow out. Maybe it’s terminating a pregnancy because the circumstances are not ideal. Remember that the consequences of these permanent decisions will last long after the storm has subsided. 

I’ll be the first to admit that transition is not always comfortable. It’s tempting to want to jump out of the boat when things get rocky. But I’ve found that if I can keep my eyes on the big picture rather than getting caught up in the anxiety of the moment, I can navigate through the storm and come out on top. Here’s to anyone else out there who’s going through a transition. Remember that the sunshine is just around the corner!