Ending

1 a bringing or coming to an end; termination; close

Everything must have an ending.

Even as a child I was repeatedly told that everything would come to an end. It was used in all situations, when I cried because I'd reached the bottom of my bottle of bubbles I was reminded that all good things come to an end. When I cried because I didn't like the thunderstorm, I was reminded that it would be over soon, that everything comes to an end.

As I look to the ending of my life, the ending of my time on this earth, I realize that there are so many things that have ended, things that have finished. Through each and everyone of them though, I pulled through. It seems you can recover from each and every ending, except the last one. It seems that the majority of endings slide seamlessly into new beginnings.

Seasons always have endings, but you never notice as they seemingly slide into the next with little disruption. If only all of life could be like that, as smooth as the transition between night and day, between ice and water.

An ending is always hardest when you can feel it happening. Letting go is always the hardest part, you're never sure of what is ahead of you, you have no idea if it's going to be easy, or if it's going to be the hardest thing that you've ever done. But a lot of the time, you need to do it. You need to let go, you need to initiate an ending, so that something else can begin.

Life has never been easy, to change is the hardest thing a human can do. Something that I've learnt is that the way to live life is to believe that tomorrow you lose everything you have, that everything you know will be gone. With that comes the other half, you have to live each moment, as if it's the last, you never know how long you have left with the people you care about. The biggest issue with this is that you can't do it with little enthusiasm, you have to live with all your heart, with nothing left, with reckless abandon.

It's never easy, letting go. Everybody sees the end, whether at the time that it is happening, or on upon reflection. If only it was as simple as the curtains closing at the end of the show, but it's not supposed to be easy. There's a reason that loss is a negative word. One thing is obvious though, the worse way to feel at the end, is that you wish that you had given more. It's not finished, until you say it's over.

The best way to live life is with nothing you regret. But the person who makes no mistakes, makes nothing. If you remember nothing else, then remember this, you never know what's going to happen next. This might scare you, this might excite you, but it's the truth. It's all about leaving behind the things that you miss, with no idea where you're going, with no aim but to move on. Who knows where you might end up?

I don't embrace endings, to say that would be a lie. You may look at all this faux wisdom and ask yourself, what does an old lady know? All I know is this, everything comes to an end. Everything, even if you want to stay where you are forever.

Where do you begin, when you can't see the end?