Transitions

Transitions have always been times of danger and opportunity. The most dangerous times of flight are takeoff and landing, where the airplane leaves earth and enters the air, or leaves the air and contacts the ground again. Essays hinge on effective transition between paragraphs because ideas, to be compelling, must link to one another in a seamless chain; good transitions are also one of the hardest writing skills to master. Life events mark our lives like signposts — birth, graduation, marriage, loss and grief, death—each signpost pointing to possibilities both fair and foul. Who can know which direction our lives will take? To live well is to transition with acceptance and purpose. Acceptance of who we are and what we’ve done. Purpose that helps us make choices that are both virtuous and life giving. If we manage transitions well, we will manage our lives well, during times of danger—and during times of opportunity. — E. D. Nelson