Hi Everyone! I don’t think I’ve posted since my most recent transition of moving cross country, so for those of you that don’t know, this past July I moved all the way from Memphis, TN to San Jose, CA. I work as the School Operations Manager for a charter network in East San Jose and live in a house with 8 other working professionals (oh my!). Most of you are probably thinking “wtf” at this point and I would be too, but I am genuinely happy with my transition so far.
In the midst of my transition, I have paid close attention to other people whom cross my path also transitioning and two incidents in particular stick out to me:
A couple of weeks ago my friend Nicole and I decided we wanted to casually go out. We wanted to sip a beer and converse; we weren’t feeling the club scene. So naturally we googled Dive Bars in San Jose and found one close to home that looked perfect called “Patty’s Inn.” Our perception of Patty’s ended up being 100% accurate. It was a small bar that smelt of PBR and smoke with 5-7 regulars shooting the shit with the bartender. We walked in and felt right at home. While at the bar, I met this man who had lived in the Bay Area for five years and was moving to San Diego the next morning (not sure how that drive worked out considering he was out until almost bae close lol). He was telling me how much he appreciated his time in the Bay and also how he was looking forward to his new job in San Diego which is closer to his mom. He said he became close with all of the regulars at Patty’s and was going to genuinely miss the place. I was very intrigued by this mans sentiments because as he was transitioning out, I was transitioning in. He was saying goodbye to a familiar place while I was just being introduced to it.
The other instance pertains to a coworker of mine. She’s the Senior Operations Associate for the network, so her and I worked closely together this summer during my on boarding. She informed me last week that she had accepted a job closer to her residency, as she commutes an hour and a half to work everyday. She explained that she had been contemplating this transition for a while and felt the network was finally at a place where it could handle her absence in lieu of all the other knowledgeable and hardworking employees brought in. She said that although she was sad to leave the organization she served the past five years, she knew it was time to move on and felt very excited and hopeful for the new opportunity she was pursuing. Once again, I noticed that this human being was saying goodbye to the very same thing I was just saying hello to.
Both of these experiences made me feel both strange (I can’t think of a different word to describe my feelings) and comforted. They made me feel comforted because in both the instances the two people had very positive things to say about the two new ventures I am undergoing. They also made me feel strange because it was odd to think that they were leaving what I was just beginning. As I mentioned in my first paragraph, I really like the city of San Jose and overall vibe of California so far, so it’s weird and difficult for me to imagine leaving where I’m currently at as a result of that.
As I reflected and continue to reflect, the two experiences made me aware of the cycle of life and transitions. In order for something “new” to be born, something “old” has to transition. I’ve experienced the “new” and “old” as I’ve now moved twice and held different professional positions; however the experiences have always been separate from one another. These two instances were particularly beautiful because the “new” and “old” were immeshed. I got to see, feel and hear about one cycle ending while a new one was beginning and that was odd, amazing and beautiful. Life and transitions are odd, amazing and beautiful.
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