"There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go." – Tennessee Williams The words change and transition are often used interchangeably. Indeed, they have very different and separate meanings. Change is a somewhat isolated: they change jobs, change clothes, change life plans. The change is a change in a person, place or thing to another. The transition is the ongoing process of dealing with change. The transition is to release what it was like and accept things could be.
Transition is a change from one state of being to another. Change can be self-imposed or imposed upon us. Buying a new home is usually a change we impose on ourselves. Entering the new home is change. Learning to let go of things as they were is the transition. Moving to a new home you may be dealing with a new route to work, missing our old neighbors, learning to use new equipment. Until you are comfortable with the new and willing to part with the old men who are in transition.
Death of a loved one is a change imposed on us. Not only have we not chosen the path we are, but we are not even sure if we can see a path. We are confused, frightened and sometimes feel powerless to accept the shift on us. We can not move, because we can not leave the past behind and can not see what could be the future. As we learn to accept that age is no more and we must accept the new, we are in transition. Sometimes the transitions are not created by the change (or at least not the change we can identify), but for an internal change in our being: a change that tells us that something is different in the way people feel about certain places or things. Transition can sometimes precede change. When we decided to seek new employment, not just wake up one morning and decides to make a change. Rather, it is usually an idea that has been making for some time (transition). We might have been unhappy in our work for a long time wanting more responsibility, more pay, a new boss or even a new career path. When we have the "idea" time we are ready to make a change. So far it looks as if our lives are in a transition phase are continuous. With that said, it is important to develop the skills to live in transition. Transition periods may be the most productive periods of our lives, if we understand that letting go is not to reject what has happened. The transition is, however, the period where we accept what has happened and seek the way to go forward. This search may lead us to new and creative ways to live our lives.