Change is disruptive by its very nature. To leave the old means also leaving what is comfortable and “normal.” And often we must endure this stress of normlessness before our new normal emerges.
Occasionally, roadwork is needed to make repairs or expand a road for increased traffic. But the road is generally not transformed overnight. There’s a period of deconstructing the old road before building the new.
And this transition is often very stressful for drivers in the meantime. There’s little one can do except to wait patiently and seek to redeem the time – maybe by listening to a podcast or simply enjoying a moment of silence or prayer.
There will be many moments throughout life in which we find ourselves in similar stressful periods of transition.
Perhaps we experience it individually as we change from one job to the next, or as a family when we welcome new members in and say goodbye to others.
There might also be periods in which larger movements of change are taking place within our local community or society at large.
But regardless of where or at what level the change is taking place there’s still a stressful period until we find new norms.
Anxiety will prompt some to rush through this period in order to quickly establish a new normal, while the stress might cause others to drag their feet and pine for the old ways.
Both extremes tend to add only more frustration to the transition.
Like the driver, it’s best to patiently accept the period of change and explore ways to actively redeem the time. There’s still much beauty, joy, and life to discover even as things change.
Be kind to yourself and others during stressful periods of transition. A new normal will eventually emerge and be enjoyed.
