Endings

It used to feel as though life was full of endings--endings of jobs or gigs, endings of classes or activities or childhood stages. Endings that were pulling the rug out from under us, each time we might start to feel comfortable.

As the school year comes to one of those endings, I am struck by how quickly it seems that something that feels as though it just began has ended. We have met the expectations--or not. We have conquered the challenges--sometimes. We have rendered ourselves ready for the next steps--maybe.

In a life full of endings, it is easy to get caught up in the mourning for what is over, in the emptiness of losing what is familiar, in the fear of the unknown that is coming. Yet, with most endings comes a beginning. Rarely do we just end one thing and not start something else, even if the something is just a small step in another direction. So, at these times of ending, we can afford to be excited, not afraid. At these times of ending, we can let ourselves be full, not empty. At these times of ending, we can allow ourselves to celebrate, not mourn. What we know may be over, but what we can know next is just starting. And if we get too caught up in the ending, we will miss seeing the beginning of our next big thing...