In Transition

A wise man once told me..."the only constant is change". Just kidding, I'm pretty sure I just read that on thinkexist or some other quote website I peruse for fun, but this is one true piece of knowledge. For many of us, the amount of change, uncertainty, and spontaneity is abundant, especially this time of year. With school year endings, seasons changing, and many of us leaving school to go back home, it may feel that with everything IN TRANSITION, there is no ground to walk on. What I'm learning, is that uncertainty is the ground we walk on. Because it is there every single moment of our lives. Even the things we think are certain, the things we're sure are going to happen a certain way, aren't really certain or set in stone. But how do we possibly stay calm in uncertainty? In the midst of change? When our lives feel in transition?

Firstly, know that everyone feels this way. No one enjoys not knowing what the future holds. We would all be more at ease if there was a plan, and we knew it! If we could get a blueprint for the next week, or six months, or year, it would be so much easier to take a deep breath. But the truth is, we will never get the plan. There is a plan, but it isin't our plan. So all we can do is trust in this moment. Take a deep breath in this moment, and trust that the rest of the plan will unfold as it may. Worrying doesn't actually have any effect on future events or happenings, although our minds deceive us somehow, that the more we worry, the better it will work out.

Focus on what you CAN count on, instead of what you CAN'T count on. You can't count on how people are going to act, what they're going to say, who is going to come, who is going to stay, who is going to leave, what grade you're going to get on the exam you took last week, or how much traffic there will be on the freeway tomorrow at rush hour. Although we would be happier to have certainty about some of those things, they are both out of our control and events of the future. So we must learn to turn our focus from things we can't control and count on, to things we can. The same way the only constant is change, the only thing we can count on is ourselves. How can you show up for yourself today? Can you make a plan to take a walk in the park this afternoon? Or go to your favorite bookstore? Create a day for yourself that you can count on. And although sometimes things won't go according to plan, your self-love and self-care are always CONSTANTS. So count on yourself, on your own presence, because the truth is...no matter what else remains or what changes, or what state you're currently in, or if you feel confused between your college home and your real home, you're still the same...nothing within you has actually changed...and that is a constant you can count on.

Remember how many times in the past the future seemed like this murky, uncertain, scary thing. If you are reading this, you've survived these moments. Today is the future you worried about yesterday. Somehow, we always get through the future moments we spent so much time overthinking, over analyzing. This is incredibly reassuring, because we can use it to tell ourselves "worrying doesn't help. it hasn't before. it won't now" Think about any time in the past things haven't been okay. You can't. It always is okay in the end.
So be present. Don't lose this moment. The future will come. This I can promise you. It will come whether you sit here for 2 hours and think about it or not.
If things are overcrowding your mind about the future, make a list of everything that is making you nervous. Just write it all down, and get it all out. Then fold the piece of paper and put it away somewhere. I'm sure in two days when you come across that piece of paper, half the things you wrote down got worked out.

Think of transition, change and uncertainty as the beauty of life. If you knew how everything was going to unfold what would be the purpose of waking up in the morning? The uncertainty means you get to discover what the day holds--one beautiful and exciting moment at a time.