When you hear the word transition, what comes to mind? Do you envision a butterfly from a chrysalis? Perhaps transitioning from a young lady to a woman? Maybe it is the physical transformation from being overweight to a healthy goal weight? Changing seasons often makes us think of transitioning from winter to spring, etc.
However, how often do we think about how a person could transition emotionally when sending a simple smile to someone? Stop for a moment and think of the slightest gesture that may transition you. This doesn’t have to just be a positive gesture either.
For example, the other day while driving, I was daydreaming and inadvertently did not let a car into my lane that was signaling to come into my lane. The driver of the car, narrowly missing my bumper while making their annoyance known when pulling into the lane behind me, decided it was prudent to honk their horn to gain my attention and then flip me the bird. This action definitely transitioned my mood. I actually wasted approximately 15-20 seconds of my life being irritated about this person. I went from being in a great mood to irritation in a split second.
If this example indicates how quickly we can transition someone’s mental psyche in a negative way, imagine how we as a society could transition another’s by a positive gesture…a smile, a sincere compliment, holding the door, letting someone in traffic ahead of you. These are just a few FREE selfless things that could change this world. It could transform a negative into a positive. Make someone feel good.
Another example is how I lived my life prior to my cancer diagnosis and how I live my life now. Sitting on the couch watching TV was my lifestyle when I wasn’t working. Eating poorly and treating my body as if it was a vessel that would never breakdown. I considered this living. After a person is diagnosed with a life altering diagnosis or if a person is part of this life altering event, a person should not just go about life as they did prediagnosis. Life is not guaranteed to ANYONE! Every second, every minute, every hour, etc. is a gift and can be taken in a heartbeat. Let’s transition from our old way of life to a new way. Look at each day as a gift, an opportunity to do good, to be positive if not for the day, then moment to moment. Don’t waste time on negativity. Put that energy into positivity whether as self-preservation or sharing with others simple gestures. Imagine what the world would be like? It would be like watching a butterfly transforming from a chrysalis to a butterfly. Think about it.
