No End in Sight
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." That line from "Closing Time" by Semisonic plays on a loop in my head every time I hear the song. It makes me contemplate what an end really looks like, if it even exists.
We have tons of phrases that relate to the word end. Some that come to mind:
All's well that ends well.
The end of my rope
At the end of the day
Loose ends
At my wits' end
The end of the road
Burn the candle at both ends
End of the line
Going off the deep end
Holding the wrong end of the stick
Fairy tale ending
The light at the end of the tunnel
Begin with the end in mind
What I hate about the idea of an end is the abruptness with which one thing stops and another starts, the lack of connection between the events in our lives that it implies. I don't think life works that way at all. Instead, I believe that every situation--whether we perceive it as negative or positive--builds toward another. Every thing that happens is necessary to propel us forward, even if it doesn't appear to serve a specific purpose.
The problem is, I--like most humans--make the mistake of focusing on the end--an impossible pursuit considering it's a moving target.
I'll use running--in my case jogging--as an example. Years back, I took up running to release stress, lose some weight, get in shape. I got hooked. There really is a such a thing as a runner's high. So, I went from morning jogs to preparing for 5k's. I ran quite a few, even improved my time over the course of a couple of years. I battled plantar fasciitis and sciatic nerve pain that shot down my leg. But, I wasn't going to let those things stop me, even though I realize now they were signs I wasn't doing the best thing for my body. Suddenly, 5k's weren't enough, so I ran a few 10k's. Those felt like real accomplishments. It was a good distance for me--challenging but doable, just the way I like it. I let one of my sisters and a friend talk me into a half-marathon. Very challenging. Not so doable. I had to walk the last 5 miles, a mental and physical defeat for me. I could barely make my legs work to drive back to the hotel. As soon as we got back into the room, I took off my running shoes and threw them in the trash can. That's the end of that, I proclaimed. With that, I terminated my running career. Hell, I couldn't even walk for weeks after, let alone run.
My error was mistaking that barrier as an end. I didn't stop life after that; I just stopped running. I found other ways to stay active and got the same benefits mentally and physically. Maybe even more. So, the end of running wasn't an end; it was the beginning of other pursuits.
If we constantly think of life as making it from one finish line to the next, we are missing out on all the miles in between, the beauty along the trails we take. The constant stop-start will wear us down. What if instead we look at life as perpetual highway on which we have to shift gears occasionally but never have to come to a complete stop?
I'm convinced there are no endings, just new beginnings.
We have tons of phrases that relate to the word end. Some that come to mind:
All's well that ends well.
The end of my rope
At the end of the day
Loose ends
At my wits' end
The end of the road
Burn the candle at both ends
End of the line
Going off the deep end
Holding the wrong end of the stick
Fairy tale ending
The light at the end of the tunnel
Begin with the end in mind
What I hate about the idea of an end is the abruptness with which one thing stops and another starts, the lack of connection between the events in our lives that it implies. I don't think life works that way at all. Instead, I believe that every situation--whether we perceive it as negative or positive--builds toward another. Every thing that happens is necessary to propel us forward, even if it doesn't appear to serve a specific purpose.
The problem is, I--like most humans--make the mistake of focusing on the end--an impossible pursuit considering it's a moving target.
I'll use running--in my case jogging--as an example. Years back, I took up running to release stress, lose some weight, get in shape. I got hooked. There really is a such a thing as a runner's high. So, I went from morning jogs to preparing for 5k's. I ran quite a few, even improved my time over the course of a couple of years. I battled plantar fasciitis and sciatic nerve pain that shot down my leg. But, I wasn't going to let those things stop me, even though I realize now they were signs I wasn't doing the best thing for my body. Suddenly, 5k's weren't enough, so I ran a few 10k's. Those felt like real accomplishments. It was a good distance for me--challenging but doable, just the way I like it. I let one of my sisters and a friend talk me into a half-marathon. Very challenging. Not so doable. I had to walk the last 5 miles, a mental and physical defeat for me. I could barely make my legs work to drive back to the hotel. As soon as we got back into the room, I took off my running shoes and threw them in the trash can. That's the end of that, I proclaimed. With that, I terminated my running career. Hell, I couldn't even walk for weeks after, let alone run.
My error was mistaking that barrier as an end. I didn't stop life after that; I just stopped running. I found other ways to stay active and got the same benefits mentally and physically. Maybe even more. So, the end of running wasn't an end; it was the beginning of other pursuits.
If we constantly think of life as making it from one finish line to the next, we are missing out on all the miles in between, the beauty along the trails we take. The constant stop-start will wear us down. What if instead we look at life as perpetual highway on which we have to shift gears occasionally but never have to come to a complete stop?
I'm convinced there are no endings, just new beginnings.
Comments
Post a Comment