Are You in Transition? Be a Caterpillar!! (Part 1)

ARE YOU IN TRANSITION? nBE A CATERPILLAR!nBy Judy Aizuss, M.S.nnOkay - whether by choice or not, you find that you are now in a transition phase. Maybe you were laid off from work, or you decided to quit and pursue a new career. Maybe you are newly divorced or suddenly widowed, and must start life anew on your own. Maybe you have become chronically ill, or are suffering from a catastrophic illness. Whatever the cause, you simply cannot live the same life you have been leading.nOr, maybe you just find yourself vaguely but persistently dissatisfied with the old familiar patterns of your life, and sense that something - something big - needs to change. The life you have been leading is no longer satisfying.nSometimes circumstances force us into a transition period, and sometimes it just seems to happen for no apparent reason. Whichever it is, there are times in our life when we find ourselves in the dark, without having a clue what is next.nnAnd what is our customary response to the darkness? Well, for most of us, this stirring up of the status quo can make us feel very uneasy. And for many, this unease can escalate to fear, anxiety, worry, and even panic.nnTransition times are, by definition, filled with uncertainty. The old trails we used to walk aren't there anymore and we must blaze some new trails.nnBut despite the discomfort and pain, transition times are not only a normal part of life, they are also essential for our growth and expansion.nnI believe that every transition - even one that has been thrust upon us by circumstance, even one of tragic loss - is always a chance to grow and expand who we are. During these times, previously unused strengths and unexpressed potentials quietly emerge. These potentials are like tiny, invisible seedlings underneath the soil, pushing at the surface, pushing away the soil until they finally pop into the air and we recognize new shoots we've never seen before.nnWhich brings me to caterpillars. Yes, caterpillars. Do you know what happens when a caterpillar goes into a cocoon? "Oh sure", you might say, "Everyone knows it turns into a butterfly."nBut that's not the whole story. How a caterpillar becomes a butterfly is the really fascinating part, and has a lot of significance for any of us going through a major change in our lives. The fact is, that in order for a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it literally has to fall apart, cell by cell, and then reorganize into a whole new organism. This is the process of Metamorphosis, or transformation.nnMarcus Bach wrote a book about 20 years ago called "I, Monty." In it, Monty the caterpillar narrates his life. Monty describes how one fine Spring day, he was sitting on a branch, enjoying the leaves and the beauty of the day.... when, all of a sudden, he found himself weaving strands around his body, and things grew dark all around him. He watched and wondered as he observed his body falling apart: his eyes going off into one corner of the shroud he was in, his legs going to other areas. He thought -philosophically, but not frantically - "If my eye is over there, then who am I?”nnMonty wonders, muses and speculates about what is happening to him - but he never panics. He does not cry out, "Oh no! This can't be happening! Why me?" He refrains from projecting frightening, catastrophic outcomes. Instead, he remarks, "Hey! Can this be dying?. Either I was still alive or else the dream did not end with dying, so why worry?"nnWaiting patiently in his shroud, enveloped by darkness, Monty simply surrenders to what is happening, and trusts - trusts the process, trusts his ability to get through the process, and trusts a gentle voice in his head which whispers soothingly to him as he hangs in the shroud. Monty does not struggle against the process in any way - he seems to know that struggling would be useless. Instead, he waits, observes, lets it happen - and lo and behold, things change dramatically, and – well, you know what happens!nnWe are all caterpillars at different times during our lives, waiting to emerge from a dark cocoon. So when you can't see the light, or even the road right in front of you, it is a time for waiting, for patience, and for trust. There are powerful, positive lessons you can learn while in the darkness, many gifts of love you can receive – and, the light will come again. It always does.nnIn the next installment of “Be A Caterpillar”, I will offer some concrete suggestions for getting through your transition time with greater ease and equanimity.nn