There is no right way, but boy do there seem to be a lot of wrong ways to do things. How does one get back on track if the journey takes a new course?
Adapting to new and changing roles can be difficult for anyone. There are so many normal transitions. These are easier to anticipate and adapt to.
- Infants become toddlers.
- Toddlers become preschoolers.
- Singles become couples.
- Couples become parents.
- Parents become grandparents.
What about when the transitions are unexpected? It is more difficult to respond to unplanned role changes. There tend to be fewer supports for life circumstances that don’t fit the typical patterns.
- Children are born prematurely.
- Parents bury their children.
- Miscarried babies are silently mourned.
- Boyfriends breakup with boyfriends.
- Adults are diagnosed with ADHD.
- Grandparents get divorced.
As progressive as we may think we are, we usually do not know what to say to a friend whose husband has been diagnosed with ADHD or to a brother whose 30something girlfriend has miscarried, again.
Each day we are confronted with predictable mental conflicts. We are experts at handling those. Try to handle unexpected changes in life with the same care you would give a hungry infant. In case you are an animal lover, try to handle people with the same tenderness you would offer a stray puppy. Each time we embrace the unexpected personal challenge, we learn how to be “ready” for the next day in the human experience.
