Adult Life Transitions
Not only in childhood, but in adulthood as well, there are certain milestones of human experience that offer us opportunities to grow a sense of wholeness, dignity, and resilience. One challenging transition is the shift from dependence on your family to independence in the outer world. Learning to support yourself emotionally and financially is a huge undertaking. You leave your family of origin and create peer relationships that provide you with a sense of belonging and attachment. It can be enormously helpful to have the support of an adult outside your family to guide you through this complex and confusing time. It is especially important that feedback be without judgement or insistence on a certain path of action. The simple, yet profound presence of compassion and acceptance can help you navigate your own way. I enjoy working with young people on the verge of adulthood. I am inspired by your vitality and energy, and I take seriously the monumental task of becoming your own person.
Another experience of adult life that is incredibly challenging is the aging process. When we enter our fifties and older, we begin to face our mortality. Losing loved ones, losing our physical capacities and facing our limitations create a poignant sense of vulnerability and helplessness. While we cannot turn back the clock, we can grow in wisdom gleaned from reconciling ourselves to our losses, connecting to our deepest nature, our sense of humor, our capacity to love with compassion and empathy, and our appreciation of timeless beauty. Just by expressing all of our concerns and allowing grief to freely emerge, we can lift the burden of fear and dread about growing old. We begin to feel that we are not alone. And somehow the prospect of aging is not so terrifying. I am deeply touched by working with my contemporaries on the issues of aging. I am enlivened by helping others face the truths that they have been avoiding. I am inspired when I see fear grow into courage. We can create a life that may be different from when we were young, but deeply rewarding just as it is.