That statement is more a "both/and" than an "either/or."
Transition is part of change, and most people have trouble with change.
We may look forward to whatever is on the other side of the transition process, but we are hesitant about entering it, especially if we are fairly comfortable in a present situation.
A familiar television ad builds on an accepted physics principle: A moving object tends to stay in motion, whereas a still, unmoving object tends to stay at rest.
Most of us agree.
If our habit is to be active, interested, involved, then we will reach out to make plans, accept responsibilities toward a different location or situation.
On the other hand, if we prefer that someone else makes our decisions and if we are not completely dissatisfied, we are probably willing to remain where and how we are.
So it would seem that the way one faces change, and the necessary transitions, is determined by one's general attitude or outlook. Of course, if the change is definitely undesirable, it may be necessary for an individual to struggle to develop a positive attitude during the transition.
However, even a change that is exciting and desirable may also be bewildering. I can personally vouch for that statement because I am presently working my way through such a transition period.
As many of you know, I have been in a skilled nursing care facility since the first of May, following an accident.
I am comfortable now in an assisted living facility and am almost past the need for the kind of care for which my insurance will pay.
But my home, which has been closed for all that time, requires some extensive work before I can resume daily living in it. My mobility is even more limited than it was before my fall, and I'm certainly a very old lady.
The return to independent living is, therefore, a pleasant but rather frightening picture, and there are many obstacles to overcome and important decisions to make.
During these months, I have been very dependent upon the help of my (not so large) immediate family and many, many friends, and I am extremely grateful. Some of that dependence will remain, but I solicit your prayers that I will be able to weather not only the transition, but also my revised lifestyle.
I believe that my attitude is right; I hope my mental and physical capabilities will be sufficient.
As a matter of fact, most of us must face transitions in various fields and on different levels. Hopefully, each person can make that journey with more pleasure than pain.
Changes in one's health, job, living conditions, relationships, etc., often happen because of circumstances beyond our control, but we can try to determine how to transition to make the best possible outcome.
Helen Taylor's column appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.