Transitions
As I write this, the current weather outside is 67°, sunny but breezy. It’s very fall-like. But as Michigan has taught us in recent years, summer isn’t over yet. It’s become increasingly common for us to experience highs in the 80s well into October. Even knowing that temps will soar again, today’s climate triggered a reflection on transition.
Seasons transition from one to the next. We’ll soon transition to fall and then winter. Because we work in the green industry, that requires an annual change to our business. Even if your company continues with snow removal, the amount of work available changes. Winter can provide an opportunity to recover and reset.
For many, the transition to fall means the return of one of America’s favorite past-times: football. High school football, college football and the NFL dominate television sets, schedules and fantasy leagues. Entire social circles develop around football as fans watch games together, tailgate together or cultivate friendly rivalries.
In our house, one of the biggest transitions in the family dynamic starts this week with the start of the 2026/2027 school year. My youngest child, my daughter, starts her senior year of high school. Senior year means walking towards college and adulthood. Every event this year will be her “last”: last high school bowling season, last show in the pit orchestra, last tennis season. But it will also be her parents’ lasts as we transition to being empty nesters. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to say it’s a good thing that my children flew the nest. But we’ll find new ways to fill our time and our lives.
Transition is the bridge between the old and the new, the former and the latter. They can start with loss but don’t have to end that way. We decide what the other side of the bridge looks like.
