Transitions

By Published On: September 25th, 2014

He’s almost 4 weeks old now, but he has the […]

He’s almost 4 weeks old now, but he has the acne of a teenager. Baby acne is nothing new, but it’s a fresh reminder to me of the transitions this little guy has been through, is going through and will go through again.image
He underwent countless transitions while developing in the womb. He even endured a stage of birth that is appropriately called “transition.” He was living weightless in a comfortable, watery, temperature-controlled world with all of his breathing and eating done for him. In the span of an hour he left that blissful existence behind and passed through the tunnel of life to go toward the light.
He was greeted by air, light, sound, touch, smells and more. I imagine that it all had to feel harsh after such a pleasant existence in the womb. Now, he has to draw his own breaths and eat his own food. It’s his first lesson learning that the world is sometimes a cruel place in which to live and life isn’t always handed to you through a silver umbilical cord.
But life is full of transitions. In fact, it might be argued that life is nothing more than a series of transitions. The transition from womb-life to harsh, dry air is just the first of many transitions. Like most transitions, this one leaves a mark. Every time I look at his speckled face, I am reminded that he’s adjusting to a new reality and a new way of living.
We’ll see that acne again in another 13 years or so from now. It will be a mark of yet another transition. This time, he will be transitioning into a bigger, faster, stronger body. He will be feeling new feelings. His eyes will be opening to the world around him. Oh, what a transition that will be. Today’s acne is only a distant portent of what is to come in those days ahead, and yet, those days will be here before we know it.
And he’s not the only one in transition. Our whole family is transitioning to life with a newborn. Our minivan is transitioning into the reality that every seat is now full when our whole family travels. Our bed is transitioning with the addition of a third sleeper. Our budget is transitioning to a bigger number for the diaper line item. My wife’s body is transitioning into a feeding station. The twins are transitioning from being the babies of the family to becoming big brother and big sister. The saying, “change is the only constant” is never truer than it is during the newborn days.
Some personalities don’t like change. Those people ought to be forewarned that having a baby will challenge them in ways they never expected and certainly don’t find comfortable. But maybe comfort isn’t the highest goal in life. Maybe enduring and embracing transition and creating new life is the point.