Shift
Shift
In the spring of 1979, my parents, Doreen and Mic, came home from my high school auction a little more “spirit-filled” than usual and announced they had “accidentally” bought a car. A stick shift.
Lucky me—Mic was tasked with teaching his teenage daughter how to drive it.
I’d been driving since 13 on my uncle’s farm, but only automatics. This was a whole new world of coordination. Clutch, gas, brake—so many things to think about at once. My ballet training apparently hadn’t prepared me for this particular choreography.
My crash course was in the Kennedy High School parking lot on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Mic, bless him, couldn’t understand how I could pirouette for years but couldn’t manage a simple gear shift without stalling out.
A few days later, my parents left for Hawaii and handed me the keys. The very first morning, when I tried to back out of the driveway for carpool, I somehow managed to slam straight into the house. Reverse? Nope. Second gear. Oops.
Everything (and everyone) survived. And eventually, with practice, shifting became second nature.
But here’s the thing: that awkward, jerky start mirrors what it feels like anytime we’re learning to shift in life. At first, it’s uncomfortable. We grind the gears. We hit walls (sometimes literally). We wonder if maybe we should’ve just stuck with what felt easier.
Yet with time, something clicks. We get the rhythm. And suddenly, we’re moving forward again—smoother, stronger, more confident.
Life works the same way. Change is inevitable, but the conscious decision to shift? That’s where things get interesting. Whether it’s love, divorce, career, family, or even just how you see yourself in the mirror, the moment you choose to shift is the moment life begins to open in new ways.
September has always felt like that season for me—the light changes, the mornings turn crisp, the days grow shorter. There’s a natural pause that makes you want to breathe a little deeper, reset, and consider what’s next. And this year, the word that keeps echoing for me is SHIFT.
Because maybe it’s time to stop grinding through the same old patterns.
Maybe it’s time to shift into a new way of being.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to trust yourself with the keys to a different future.
If you’re feeling that pull—that sense that something needs to change but you’re not sure how—I’d love to help. Book a free discovery call with me, and let’s explore what shifting into your next chapter could look like.
Because life isn’t about staying in the same gear forever. It’s about learning when it’s time to shift.
