Transitions – Weekly Photo Challenge

“Light precedes every transition….heralding a new beginning.”

Teresa Tsalaky

READY TO BLOSSOM

READY TO BLOSSOM

This week, as I searched for quotes about transition, I was struck by the positive nature of everything I found. Somehow the concept of transitioning is much less threatening than that of change – similar but different. To  me, a transition means we have moved from one place (emotional, physical or other) to another – as opposed to change which takes us away from our norm and doesn’t quite ease us into wherever we are meant to go.

WHISPY

WHISPY

“Change emphasizes what is happening TO us while transition emphasizes opportunity for growth within.”

William Bridges

While I don’t often post photographs of flowers, I thought this series of shots taken earlier this year in Colorado captured the idea of transitioning nicely.  Their movement from bud to their whispy eventual form reminded me of how much as children we loved to blow them into the wind.

ANGEL WINGS

STARBURST

“Step back in perspective, open your heart and welcome transition into a new phase of life.”

Linda Rawson

If only it were as easy to transition within our own lives as it is to spread these light-as-a-feather pods out into the world around us. How nice it would be to see a transition to peace and acceptance where today there is only sadness and fear.

NEWBORN

NEWBORN

“Transitions themselves are not the issue, but how well you respond to their challenges.”

Jim George

This week my friends and I were reminded that sometimes bad things happen –  so much of  what we take for granted can change in an instant.  With special thoughts for special friends, I will leave you with this thought from Helen Keller: “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.”  Here’s to the light in all of us.

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92 thoughts on “Transitions – Weekly Photo Challenge”

  6. Lovely thoughts and photos on the word ‘Transition’. I find I get much more change averse as I get older, but, you are right, it doesn’t have to be a negative thing.

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  9. Great subject to photograph here Tina, the starburst photo is beautiful ~ and agree as a kid how great it was to find & blow those seeds in the air…and wish all such transitions were as easy to do. Then reading/viewing your post, I realize I guess transitions can be that easy if we think of them as easy (a creative way to change). Wish you a great week 🙂

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  14. What lovely finds from earlier in the year Tina … lovely starry bursts and the series really encapsulates the theme so well . Gorgeous .
    I like your thoughts to re transition/change … and would heartily agree 😉

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  15. very poignant quote from Helen Keller – and some cool clicks. i find that in nature, everything is in transition, and it is a good thing. where there is transition, there is life. thanks for sharing this thoughtful post.

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  16. Beautiful photos Tina. Thanks for bringing back the memory of blowing those whisps into the wind. Very moved by your final paragraph and quote from Helen Keller. Best wishes for the coming week 🙂

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    • Thanks very much Andrew. A very good friend was involved in a horrible accident but she is past the critical point and on the mend. It will be a long and hard recovery but we are quite simply happy that she is still with us. It was a close call. Appreciate your keeping us in your thoughts.

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  17. Pingback: WPC: Transition (Shower) | Chris Breebaart Photography / What's (in) the picture?

  19. Beautiful photos. Such delicate snaps of those flowers (?). The proper name for those wispy things on the pods seem to eclipse me at the moment. What heartfelt quotes too. Transition can certainly be less bumpy that change brings. Sometimes we can see transition coming; we can feel it and anticipate it, and it might not shock us as much as unanticipated change does. Really love the Helen Keller quote 🙂 ❤

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  23. interesting dichotomy….. Delicacy and beauty of flowers…and yet harshness of transition as the winds blow….. Great post … Always thought provoking… Linda m

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  28. Beautiful images and thoughts too. It’s true that we can fear change…often more when we are anticipating it than when it actually happens. I must remind myself of this when facing these moments. Have a wonderful week, Tina. Thinking of your friends too. All the best.

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  29. These work beautifully for the challenge, Tina. As you say, words can make a big difference in perception and “transition” does sound less harsh or threatening than “change.” I think the former implies a slower pace, which is often what people desire.

    janet

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    • Thanks Bill – still have some warmth down here in the south. Actually this is the only time of year that I actually miss the cold, since the holiday season SHOULD mean snow and ice!!

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  44. Beautiful transitions Tina. I think I’m going to substitute the word “transition” for the word “change” in my vocabulary – it feels better at this stage of my life when their are a number of big transitions occurring 🙂

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