And Its Subjective Transitions
The only journey is the journey within. Rainer Maria Rilke
It is said that life is a journey, not a destination. It could also be said that life is an inner journey with inner transitions along the way. Life as a journey is a beautiful metaphor. Journey is a process, a passage or a course. Transition is a passage from one form, state, style, or place to another. Life’s journey is full of transitions. This blog is about one’s personal inner subjective transitions on life’s journey.
At the end of every road you meet yourself. Zen Saying
Wherever you go, there you are. Jon Kabat-Zinn
Your life’s journey always features you, the inner you. You are the one on your life’s journey. And this includes your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, fears, optimism, pessimism and all that is going on in your mind at the moment. And what is going on in your mind is you — although you may not be aware of it. I am reminding you that what is going on in your mind (“in here”) is as important as what is going on along the journey ( “out there”). On your life’s journey, your mental map IS the territory.
The mind inhabits a private universe of its own devising. Diane Ackerman
There is no “out there” out there independent of what’s going on “in here”. Fred A. Wolf
Many years ago the concept of transitions became very popular in the counseling and decision making literature. Transitions were described as having an ending, a neutral zone and a beginning; a good description of life’s journey and life’s inner journey. In his best selling 1980 book, Transitions, Bill Bridges made a point of the importance of the way you “see” these transitions periods. For example, reflecting on the past (the endings): Thus it is important in times of transitions to reflect on the past for a number of reasons — not the least of which is that from a perspective of a new present, the past is likely to look different. For the past isn’t like a landscape or a vase of flowers that is just there. It is more like the raw materials awaiting a builder.
This quote had a powerful impact on my thinking then, and still does. My subjective interpretation of my life’s transitions is significant. My image of the past, present and future may be the most important factor in determining what my future will be. I am the only one who can directly travel my inner journey. Others can tell me what they believe is the way I see things, or should see things, but they cannot see things the way I do.
These subjective transitions on our inner journey are often neglected, or out of awareness. Pausing to reflect on what’s “in here” has been a theme of mine. In choosing what door to open to the future, I urge you to sometime choose the door that opens to the inside. However, the journey within is not the journey most people travel.
Not in his goals but in his transitions man is great. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Positive Uncertainty 
We went to a class at the place we go in New Hampshire about transitions. I didn’t go at first because all the years I was involved in doing transition work. But I eventually went because I have become aware that all the transition material we used did not deal with 70, 80,90 year olds. The instructor had not dealt with it either. He is planning on having a follow up program in our area to look at this later transition. It was helpful to me when you said you would like to be 80 years old again. We all chuckled, but I realized that I feel that way about being 70 again. That makes me see how much happens in these last decades to our lives and, for me, largely my inner journey. Be fun to talk more about this.
H, my journey within is a deep , thoughtful and prayerful one. Not my will but His be done. How is your journey going ? Tahoe,, a perfect place for a walk and talk with Him! Listen
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