One of my dear friends has been moved to do some real clearing-out in her life. She's cleaning files and rooms in her home and rearranging things. She's clearing out things in her inner life as well. She feels she's on the verge of something new happening in her life. She's not sure just what.
I reminded her the other day that we sometimes go through a transition period between the old and the new—and to not be worried if that does happen. That period can sometimes bring with it a bit of discomfort. We aren't sure what's on the other side, but we've already left the safety of the old shore. However, that transition period can be extremely important.
Writer Suzanne Braun Levine calls this transition time "the fertile void." I really like that term. It implies what really is true about such times: They are not empty times. They are rich with possibility. They are fertile. Such times remind me of growing up on a farm: We knew that every so often, some of the land needed to lie fallow in order to recharge. You cannot keep growing crops on a piece of land forever and ever. The soil nutrients will be depleted. The soil needs to rest and replenish.
So do we. We need recharging from time to time, too. So if you're going through any kind of change in your life, try not to fear a transition time. See it as the "fertile void" that it can be. If that's uncomfortable, learn to be OK with that for a while. And then be ready for the new life that will surely emerge for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment