I remember the excited delight of getting out of school for the summer. It was great and we students were ready to jump long before the final bell rang. Sweet memories I cherish, but not so much how I feel about May these days.

Nevertheless, here we go. It’s the end of May, heading into summer—an unexpectedly busy time of year. When my kids were in school I came to consider May the month of transition, the time when the teachers were transitioning the kids back to me. What with plays, recitals, graduations, choral concerts, and all that end of year folderol, I realized, “Oh, yeah, the kinds are back in my hands full-time.”

And it was a real transition, in so many senses of the word. I had to rethink some of the patterns I’d grown accustomed to during the school year. I had to rework my schedule to accommodate special events. I had to begin making more space for my kids in the summer. All the planning and execution were back in my hands as the teachers threw up their hands in glee.

Throw in Memorial Day and weddings, and May gets to be a pretty busy month. It’s not the busyness that is so tough. It’s the transitions. Just when I think I’m in sync with the rhythm of daily life, it all changes. It’s the uptick of the tempo that gets my feet tangled up. Transitions are the hardest part—of childbirth, of changes in family routines, even in the simple process of kids shifting from school to home, or adults coming home from work.

Shifting those gears is the hardest part of our day and our year. It wakes us up to the motion of life-- the ending of something important and the beginning of something new. In our culture, May is the closest we get to rites of passage. Even those small transitions from work or school back home mark the movement of our lives and limbers us up to be more flexible as change is coming.

Be mindful as you negotiate this seasonal transition from spring to summer. Allow extra time to make decisions, and to bring your family along in the process. Practice compassion. Take extra care of yourself and be gentle with those around you as you adjust to new routines. Now more than ever it’s important to represent yourself well and take tender care as the tides shift and carry your boat in new directions.

What transitions are you celebrating (or enduring) this merry month of May? Leave a comment to continue the conversation in our Closed Facebook Group, #Mevoke. Knock on the door with your request to enter and I'll answer with a smile.

Here are a couple of tips to help with the transitions May has for us.

20170525 End of May