The Santiam Pass Burn Area – an ecology in transition
acrylic painting – 22” x 18” $ 275
Transitions Create Energy
My NIA (non impact aerobics) \ teacher commented theater day that transitions create energy. Each time we shifted from one movement or shape to another she encouraged us to spring into the new position with gusto. I appreciated her observation and started to think about the energy needed for transitions other than movement, such as those that impact the environment, my life, and writing.
Several weeks ago, while traveling through central Oregon, I observed the shock caused by a massive fire to land and surviving animals. The view from my car window was chilling, seemingly as though I was peering at an alien planet. Black charred trees contrasted with white gnarled bleached branches that stood naked in the scorched ground. In 2003, fire destroyed 90,769 acres of Oregon forests totaling approximately 100 square miles. The Santiam Pass had succumbed to a failed U.S. Forest Service policy of suppression. Without small and frequent burns to clear underbrush, the forest had grown thicker and drier. It was weakened by disease and drought and demonstrates what can happen after a century of fire suppression and timber harvests that leave brush behind. The burn area is now a land in transition. Caused by energy, it consumed an energy source, and will need years of energetic renewal to repair itself. It will be fascinating to observe primary plant succession in action and see how many animals return to feed on young shoots. After the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the deer population exploded as growth returned. However, in this case, the sun beams hot, temperatures are elevated and regrowth seems slow.
Leaving childhood, entering college, becoming married, and parenthood were periods that initiated a time of personal transition and growth. On the sad side was my divorce. I was devastated, cried constantly at first and felt like my world was coming apart. “How would I ever be able to live in my creaky house or travel to foreign lands as a single woman?” I wondered.
I decided to let myself mourn for as long a time as needed, but while doing so, wallowing in self-pity would not be acceptable. Since I could no longer depend on someone else to lead the way, I had to create my own path. Match.com became one of my solutions, putting me out into what I thought would be scary situations. Much to my surprise, the website introduced me to some of the nicest men in town. I became energized, and for one year had a blast, feeling like I was reliving my college weekends. I had partners for dancing, visiting art exhibitions and taking long bicycle rides with stops on hot afternoons for drippy ice cream cones. With new acquaintances I visited summer festivals, took in soccer games and went on picnics and hikes in the woods. One man had a mathematics toy that he had invented for elementary school children, and since I was in the educational toy business, I was able to get his product marketed. The royalty checks were fun to receive.
By the end of the year I had a better sense of myself. As a stronger woman I was not as dependent on a partner, no longer afraid of intruders and more willing to travel on my own. In fact, there were times I preferred to be alone because I was more open to meeting interesting strangers along the way. I still valued stable companionship, however, and by the end of the year was once more in a committed relationship. This time though, I was determined to accept my partner and present myself as “take-it-or-leave-it ” packages. We no longer had to blend into one entity but could retain our individuality as we held hands. The transition from marriage to divorce to a partnership required increased energy that helped me better understand close relationships.
Coping with change is a constant that from time to time each of us is bound to face. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges is a relevant book that discusses how change brings both opportunities and turmoil. Bridges helps readers understand that there are three stages to any transition; the Ending, the Neutral Zone, and eventually the New Beginning. There needs to be patience and acceptance of the steps needed in order to evolve.
Transitions create a period for tremendous growth. New learning has to take place since familiar patterns have changed. Experiences will be different and fear has to be overcome. There are times, as in illness or death, when it is difficult to go through a period of upheaval alone. Imbuing energy to the situation may require the help of a trained professional, or you may be the one called to assist a loved one face their new reality, requiring you to become infused with a strength that you did not know you had. When my son developed cancer, it meant that both my husband and I had to spend two-thirds of our day assisting him while we continued to conduct our ongoing affairs. It was a difficult and emotional time, but I learned a great deal about the medical profession, giving organizations like Make a Wish Foundation, the spirit of the human psyche, and the well of energy within our family that was there when it needed to be called forth. I am thankful that all ended well, and our son is appreciative of his good health, maintaining it with good food habits and exercise.
Giving birth to children, watching them grow up and leave home, and welcoming grandchildren are all milestones that create a changed life style. For the child, transitions can be difficult since they are usually instigated by something beyond their control. Moving, divorce, a new school all create stress that may need the assistance of an an in-tuned parent. It takes fortitude to be attentive to offspring and often requires the adult to acquire new coping skills. None of us are born parents. Most are on-the-job students who become trained when unexpected family situations present themselves.
When each of my five childrenI reached eleventh grade, I mourned the approaching empty nest. By the time they actually graduated, my worry period had ended, for I had used the year to consider next steps. The approaching transitions energized me, and I became busy planning for and learning how to operate a new business.
Bob Dylan sang true when he wrote, The times they are a-changin’.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’. . . .
As my offspring matured they kept me thinking young, for their conversations were often a windows to new ideas and approaches. In many ways their lives are more difficult than mine was because of changing worldwide economic and environmental conditions, yet they are adapting by embracing ways of enjoying a more frugal existence, eating organic foods, and having lower impact on the environment. The women no longer think of themselves as primary support systems to husbands, but have their own careers and relationships based on shared responsibilities. Since they married at a later age than I did, they had time to develop close-knit circles of friendship that recognize the need for independence yet are there to provide support when needed.
Transitions create energy applies to all of the arts. Just as a dancer is energized by a conversion step giving rise to the next pose and an artist becomes excited by preparing a canvas to take paint, so does a writer become empowered by the use of changeover words and phrases. When writing it is important to know how to get from one thought to the next. Consideration has to be given to the best way to provide energy going forward? Phrases like in addition, not to mention, equally important, and moreover take the author out of a dead end position into the next concept. These words are essential, because they not only connect ideas, but introduce a change, a shift or contrast, an emphasis or agreement. They are vital and useful words that bring purpose or conclusion to an argument.
Yes, transitions do create energy, bringing intensity to nature, work, play, and the arts. They demand that effort be put forth as Dylan says, “if your time to you is worth savin’, then you better start swimmin’.”
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References follow:
http://www.amazon.com/Transitions-Changes-Revised-Anniversary-Edition/dp/073820904X – To purchase book about Transitions by William Bridges.
http://education.wichita.edu/caduceus/examples/essay_student/transitions.htm – Transition words.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/thetimestheyareachangin.html – Lyrics to The Times They are a Changin’ by Bob Dylan.