Transformation

“May the next few months be a period of magnificent transformation.”

found on “The Berry”

This summer has been all about transformation. Transformation and acceptance of the transformation because transformation is rarely easy.

RETIRING AS TRANSFORMATION

As a recent retiree (Yes, I feel it is recent even though I formally retired from teaching in 2014.), I am still influenced by the back to school ads and sales. This summer I felt the pull to still plan for my classes for the coming year. You can take me away from the classroom, BUT you can’t take me away from teaching. This became evident when the facilitator of a workshop I was taking this summer was hospitalized and I was asked (at the last minute) to teach the four hour workshop. I realized that I severely miss teaching. Helping people learn is something I am passionate about. What I don’t miss are the politics of the educational system and the massive amount of paperwork that I had as a high school English/language arts teacher.

HOME IMPROVEMENT AS TRANSFORMATION

Our home is undergoing transformation. Last spring’s storms found our roof shedding shingles, our screens snapping the tabs securing them into position, and the siding developing what I call stress fractures. They have been working on our home for the last three weeks between rainstorms and have now completely finished installing the windows and the siding. We are just waiting for the predicted storms (today and at least tomorrow) to pass so they can finish with the roof and the gutters. I never realized how stressful and distracting the process would be: workers in and out, pounding, and things moved and out of position. BUT, in the end it will all be worth it. I can already tell that the new windows are more insulated than the ones that were in the house when we bought it. (The thermostat could be set at 75 degrees and the kitchen would register 65 degrees and the living area 85 degrees. Now, when we just had the windows, the difference between the thermostat and the living area was only a couple of degrees.)

TRANSFORMATION IN MY LIFE

Now, it’s time for me, my attitude, my life, and my writing to undergo some transformation. BUT, slowly. One – step – at – a – time. And if I falter a day or two, I can pick myself up and try again.

FIRST, it’s time to get my life organized. (More on that in this week’s articles.) Organization eliminates stress in my life. I know this. I want to say I let my household organization get out of hand, but since we moved almost two years ago, I have not gotten the house organized. There’s a lot of stuff still in boxes. Ugh! It’s time to finally get to the box at the bottom of the stack in the middle of the garage.

SECOND, it’s time to be writing and blogging regularly. My brain is full of ideas and stories and articles. Sometimes the framework makes it onto a sheet of paper or the computer screen, but far too often that is as far as it gets. It’s time to set a regular schedule and hold myself to that. After all, writing is now my job.

THIRD, it’s time to minimize the vast amount of stuff I have. In other words, it’s time to start selling stuff online. Oh, my! I look in the garage and wonder what is truly in the box at the bottom of the stack in the middle of the garage surrounded by other stacks of boxes. We looked at renting a booth at one of the local antique/flea market/thrift type stores. The spot I liked was not available; the person had appeared at the last minute and laid claim to it. I do, however, still need to downsize so I am looking to take my stuff to the internet.

NOW TO THE POINT

I guess the point is that transformation and change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. Whether that change is an attitude change, a location change, a health change (yup, diet and exercise), or a major life change, it doesn’t happen over night. It takes time. Time to reflect on where you actually are and what you want/need. Time to develop and research how you will go about making that transformation. And definitely time to work on the steps to transform your life.

If it is an attitude or outlook change (to me this is the hardest change of all), it can be an hour by hour, day by day process.

If it is a location change, it takes a lot of research (and packing – don’t forget the packing) before you take the leap.

If it is a health change, it is a day by day with re-evaluation each day journey.

If it is a life change, it is a process that sometimes has a supposed due date that you must be prepared for (think pregnancy).

What ever transformation you wish to see in your life, take the time now to start preparation. You will never know what or how much you can accomplish until you take that first step.

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Thanks for reading.

AND

As you move through your day-to-day activities and responsibilities, please remember to

Live Life –

Keep Things Simple –

Look for the Positive –

AND

Smile.

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