As of last night, all 4 of us are back in our condo in Miami after traveling for 6 weeks this summer.

Taking that much family time was such a gift. Getting to spend time with just my hubs was incredible (thanks to my amazing MIL!) and seeing so many friends and family up north was so nourishing.

But our first night home with all of us back in Miami wasn’t exactly smooth.

Emotions were high. Easeful communications were low.

I got in bed in a funk and my precious, amazing husband was having none of it.

He said, it was our first night back after a beautiful summer, and we aren’t gonna go to bed with our panties in a jumble.

(I’m paraphrasing.)

What we sorted out was basically a communication error that came down to both of us not directly stating what we needed as we transitioned back home.

We worked it out before bed, had a nice snuggle, and I woke up to a very rare 97 sleep score on my Oura ring!

What I’ve noticed is that transitions trip us up more when we try to gloss over them and don’t give them the space they deserve.

That was precisely our issue yesterday. We needed to take our arrival back home a little more seriously.

Tomorrow the kids go back to school and we reset our work/school/life rhythm as a family.

So, I’m taking the transition seriously.

I don’t expect that giving this threshold the credence it deserves means it won’t come with its own bumps (like the kids melting down about their ketchup touching their sweet potatoes at dinner.)

But I do expect that honoring the transition with planning, space, and time will at least help us all feel a little more held in the process.

To give the transition back to school and our regular life some space, we’re doing something new tonight on the last day before school starts.

Here’s our simple transition ceremony:

1. Put together a simple altar. You might include one thing that represents each of the elements, such as a candle for fire, a stone or flower for Earth, a bowl of water for water, and a bell for air (or incense or a feather.)
2. Sit in a circle around the altar.
3. Have a talking stick, rock, or any object that you pass around to give everyone a turn to share. You’re only allowed to speak when you’re holding that object.
4. Have everyone go around and share a favorite summer memory. Go around a few times to celebrate them all.
5. Have everyone bring an object that represents the summer and place it in the middle of the circle on the altar.
6. Go around and have each person share one thing they’re going to miss about summer. Then, they can share how they might carry the essence of that thing into the fall. For example, if something someone will miss is being outside more, perhaps you could schedule a weekly family nature walk to celebrate the changing season.
7. Go around and have each person share something they’re looking forward to in the fall.
8. Have each person bring an object that represents the fall and to close out the ritual, place that object in the center on the altar.
9. Close the circle by sharing intentions or wishes for the fall season.
10. Say a prayer that you feel held during whatever transition you’re navigating and that it’s as easy and joyful as possible.
11. Blow out the candle and leave the altar or move it to somewhere you can visit it and tend to it as the season transitions from summer to fall.

Whether you’ve got kids going back to school, you’re moving, changing jobs, starting a new side hustle, changing your relationship dynamic, or even simply kicking off a new workout routine, honor that transitions tend to be a bigger deal than we realize.

I hope our transitional hiccups and our little ceremony inspire you to honor whatever you’re leaving behind and stepping into this season, too.

All my love,
Kate