Transitions

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“My past is the fertile ground from which new good arises.”  I copied that sentence from a little publication I read called The Daily Word.  It reminds me  not to mourn the past, but to look at it as the sowing of seeds that have yet to harvest.  To look forward to more good in my life.  I have a lot of great memories and as I go through many transitions in midlife I can get a little sad at times.  I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with hormones.  Sad that good friends have moved and things won’t ever be the same, marriages are ending and kids are going off to college soon.  Life is full of these transitions. When we bought our first home we lived in a cul de sac and we were great friends with all of our neighbors.  We were all about the same age and starting families at the same time.  We were young, life was good and we had fun.  Then couples started to move into bigger homes as our families grew.  The addition of children meant more stuff which needed more space.  We’ve kept in touch with a few of those neighbors, but things are never the same.

Our second home which we still occupy is also in a cul de sac.  When we built it 13 years ago we were in a similar situation.  We all had young families and we had various gatherings in the cul de sac while the kids played.  We were young, life was good and we had fun.  Originally I was worried we’d never have the same experiences we did with our first home, but there was more good and fun times in store for us.Once again a transition is occurring.  Neighbors are downsizing as kids get older, we don’t have gatherings as often, and people are going in different directions with kids activities.  There is still a feeling of community, but it’s not the same.

I try not to mourn the past, but look forward to the new possibilities the future holds.  Most importantly I’m learning to enjoy the present time because I know things won’t be the same 5 years from now or even 2 days from now.  I’ve always been a forward thinker waiting for a future day to come.  If I’m not dreaming of the future then I’m rehashing the past and over analyzing things.  I’m starting to come to grips with the realization I’d better stay in the present because things change tomorrow unless you’re Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.  I’m reassured though that there will be more good and fun even though I won’t be young and things won’t ever be the same.  My past is laying the groundwork for the future, and I’m looking forward to harvest time.