Pathwalking 179
What happens when you find yourself in transition?
What is a transition? In the idea of Pathwalking that would be the space between paths. It is the place where you are moving from one path to another, but it feels as if no movement is happening.
We all find ourselves in moments of transition. We are stuck between notions, trapped between ideas, and we find we are plagued by uncertainty. We find ourselves unsure of how to proceed, but we know that we are switching to a different path.
Sometimes this transition occurs because we have reached the end of a given path. Sometimes, though, this transition is because we have learned the path we have been on no longer works for us, so it is time to place ourselves upon a wholly new path.
There may also be times when we are on more than one path, and we are jumping from one to another, and lost between them.
I am stepping into a major transition in my life. I have seen this transition coming on for a while now, and even though I’ve been preparing for it and expecting it, it has still left me feeling as if I am nowhere, and lacking in clarity and feeling directionless.
Part of this feeling is because I am moving out of certain comfort zones. I am taking new actions and positioning myself in ways that I am not normally doing. This is not just a new path I am stepping into, it is in many respects a new me.
We often experience this even when we are not making the conscious choice of Pathwalking. We have this happen when we enter into a new relationship, a new job, a new partnership, a new friendship. When we are making a significant change we experience transition, and while it can be exciting and full of promise and hope and new horizons, it can also be scary and uncertain and full of doubts and fear and reanalysis of past mistakes.
Transition is unavoidable. Plain and simple, you are going to find times between points ‘a’ and ‘b’, and a transitional experience. The space between the paths that feels lost, that feels confused, that raises questions and concerns and is the unknown.
The transition is nearly a form of limbo. It is somewhere and nowhere at the same time. But it does not need to be a negative, it is not something to be feared. It can serve to be an opportunity.
You are choosing a new path, you are starting a new idea, you are still choosing your destiny, you just happen to be in an unavoidable space and time while the shift is occurring. This can be a chance to rest. This can be a place to breathe, to take a break, to allow the universe to flow around you and to mentally, physically and emotionally make preparations for the next path.
Doesn’t this run contrary to Pathwalking? You have made a choice or choices, you are just experiencing a brief transitional period between them. You are not avoiding choices, you are not letting life live you or waiting curled up in a ball to die…you are simply in a moment where movement is stalled.
All kinds of things can cause this space to be reached. You have left one job and have a week or two until the next begins. You have chosen an educational program but you are waiting for the semester to start. You’re getting married but the wedding is weeks away. All of these periods of transition occur and cannot be avoided, but you are still upon your path and you are still making necessary choices for your destiny.
Transition often presents itself as a negative, or as a downer of some sort. But really, it is merely an unavoidable situation which can be made into a useful and positive experience. It means you are taking the journey, and making choices for your life.
The important thing to remember is that the state of transition should be relatively brief. It you allow inaction and a lack of movement to dominate your life you risk losing sight of your paths. It can be tempting to fall into old habits and not choosing, but if that is where you find yourself you are not simply in a transition, you are likely not upon any paths at all.
How do you handle being between your paths?
This is the one-hundred seventy-ninth entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available in print and for your Kindle.
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