Beginnings and Endings

This is one of two posts I have admittedly been hesitant to write about. Why? because it’s hard. It hits close to home and I’m still in the middle of both my beginnings and endings. In fact, if I think about it, aren’t we all in the middle of beginnings and endings? Do they ever line up and stop and start in linear time lines? If we stop and observe long enough we might realize that we are always inbetween beginnings AND endings. That space of travel from when something starts and another thing ends can be exciting AND hard. Happy AND challenging—remember the BOTH/AND? Here it is again!

As I painted this vintage bus traveling down a lovely fall road I thought about how life is all about beginnings and endings and traveling through them. It’s not about the finish line, but rather the journey along the winding paths of pain and joy, struggle and excitement.

So as we all travel down these roads of beginnings and endings, maybe it’s more helpful to think about challenging ourselves to enjoy and experience ALL the parts of the road trip instead of putting pressure on ourselves to “get over” something or rush into another thing in efforts to keep up the pace of where we think we should be at.

Our journeys are just that—OUR JOURNEYS. No one else can tell us how to feel or make us feel differently about our beginnings or endings in our life. Those experiences are OURS. Listening to our heart’s emotions and our body’s communication through each step of the way— through each passing mile—is what’s important.

For me personally, it’s the beginning of new schools for each of my three kids—college, highschool and middle school, as well as a partner diving into grad school to pursue a new career. The ending of elementary school life, not having all my kids at home all the time, and adjusting to different schedules for all of us has got me in a ball of emotions when I sit and let myself feel the grief that comes with endings. Holding space for our needs in these changes can be challenging.

But just like taking pit stops during a literal road trip is neccessary, so is stopping along life’s journeys to let ourselves take those needed breaks in life as we process our beginnings and endings.

This is just a friendly reminder to slow down your travel experience and allow yourself to feel and process those emotions and experiences what comes naturally with each beginning and ending in life. I know I need that reminder, so maybe you do too!