Life is full of transitions. We all have them and for the most part they are pretty much the same. Some are good and some not so good and some just come with the passage of time.

The feeling one gets watching their first child being born, that's a great transition. The joy of falling in love or the experience of your first promotion or standing up to get your degree or being recognized for an achievement. These are all examples of great transitions, many of us get to experience.

Some transitions are not so pleasant. A serious accident or illness to yourself or someone you love. The loss of a loved one or possibly a divorce. These are examples of not so good transitions. Some are brought on by our own doing, mistakes we've made that we regret but can't change, some just by life as it plays out.

Then there are the transitions just brought about by the passage of time. Watching parents grow old and change before your eyes, finding yourself not being able to do things you once considered easy and basic, finding yourself alone as time passes. Again, these are all transitions common to most of us at one time or another, and to one degree or another.

But life really is lived in how we master and maneuver through the transitions. The joy and the sadness, the light and the dark, the agony and the ecstasy are all part of the experiences we all have in common. How we travel through these experiences determines the quality of our life. These transitions are common to us all, how we react to them determines how we live. Enjoy your individual ride!

Marty Pay is a contributing writer for The Loop newspaper. He can be reached at Marty Pay Farmers Insurance (661) 822-3737.