Transitions

Transitions are awkward and somewhat difficult for me. There was the transition from my full-time teaching career to retirement.The psychological jump from prime to middle age has occurred( much later than the physical one). The empty nest is coming soon; Adam is already in his own place, and Gina has pretty much moved out. My roles as wife and mother are evolving, and I am nearing the end of being a pet owner.I turned on the electric blanket, because cold nights have arrived, and most of the leaves have fallen in my backyard, which means now I can see my neighbors' yards again. I don't do well with winter - lack of warmth and sun, nor with the "Winter of my discontent." The hardest of all transitions is the weeding of my relationships garden. All meaningful interactions need reciprocity and concerted " watering." I find myself doing more pruning and fertilizing than I feel I should be doing. Are some friends just annuals instead of perennials( to continued this strained metaphor)?Yes, is the answer.Seasons change the garden, of course, and I need to adjust; "therein lies the rub."