Isn't it crazy how many stages we move through in life? Not just from babyhood to childhood to adulthood, but all the tiny transitions within the larger ones? If we tallied up all of the phases, seasons and changes we go through in one lifetime....well, we probably couldn't count them all.
As this pregnancy progresses, I'm getting more and more aware of just how many transitions I've gone through in such a small piece of time. Within the last two years the titles of student, girlfriend, barista, writer, friend, fiance, mommy, wife, nanny, stay at home mom, daughter, teacher (and probably many more that I didn't even realize I had) have all applied to me.
In a few weeks, I will be done working my job at the coffee shop. "Stay at home mom", with all of its connotations and implications, will apply to me once again.
In a few short months (unless she decides to surprise us early...), I will go from "mom of one" to "mom trying to juggle two". I'll go from full-term pregnancy to postpartum in the span of one day. From toddler to newborn AND toddler. From loving one to loving two.
Evie will move from only child to big sister, from being more spoiled than I'll admit to having to share everything with a brand new human.
AJ will turn into provider for 4, bringing in our only source of income until we figure out what to have me do long-term.
Using two bedrooms, to three. Holding one little hand to pushing a double stroller.
It can be overwhelming, all of these stages we go through. Something as simple as a mood swing can feel like climbing a mountain. But that is where we have a choice.
We can let the change "happen" to us- an innocent bystander in our own life, even feeling like a victim of our own transitions- or we can be intentional. Taking each transition in stride, with confidence, we destroy the notion that change is something to be feared. What would it look like to embrace the seasons we go through? Even the short ones or the painful ones or the boring ones?
Summer is a time of transition, not just in season, but in lifestyle. I think of many of my friends who are graduating college this week- they are making the transition from being a student for at least the last 16 years of their lives to having to navigate the world "as an adult" (whatever that means). Many people are bringing new life into the world or moving into new homes or starting new jobs, planting new gardens, planning summer vacations. We never stop transitioning, really.
Moving through these changes with intentionality and purpose can make all the difference. Without it, we are at risk of becoming bystanders in our own life, like a moviegoer, sitting in a chair, eating popcorn while the action happens in front of them. BUT. If we chose to be in the moment, transition with our transitions, we grow.
So, in this season of what feels like a lot of transitioning, I'm making the choice to be present. I will face labor head on, knowing that my body is meant for it. I will embrace the sleepless nights, the jealous toddler and the long hours at home.
What about you? What does transitioning look like in your life?