This post originally appeared here on Medium.
The Game Of Life Continues In The Next Round
Life transitions involve endings and beginnings. How we show up in the next phase depends upon the interpretation of endings in our lives. While the phrase may bring mixed feelings, and often involve pain, what endings ultimately mean to us is what we make it.
We can approach them as the beginning of the end, acknowledging that life as we know it is shutting down. Or we can see them as a new beginning, an opportunity to start over and begin afresh. The way we comprehend endings will help us make sense of life as we move along.
Life transitions often begin with a string of losses that can make us feel fearful and anxious. Hardship pushes us towards awareness. It forces us to find within our hearts the ability to adapt and survive through sweat, blood, and tears. Regardless of where we are, there is always a sense of anticipation about what the future may bring.
I often hear people say we can start over as many times as we like. They tell us the next moment, the next day, the next adventure is just around the corner, waiting for us to conquer if we would release the emotional baggage that is holding us back and move on. As if we could instantly remove past mistakes, close the wounds, wipe the slate clean and eradicate every trace of unpleasant memory that took place.
We try our best to pretend as if nothing has happened, attempting to cast everything behind us. Despite our good intentions to move along rapidly, we forget that in those broken pieces, we find our worth.
— purposefullifenow.com
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Photo by Efdal YILDIZ from Pexels
Shortly after, we turn around and say we take the lessons with us. The mistakes, heartbreaks, and failures made us wiser, stronger, and more resilient.
But how can we say we learn the lessons without acknowledging the experience? Or how can we claim we come out stronger but deny the challenges that forced us to grow and expand? We can’t claim we are starting anew because there is nothing new. We are just moving on from there.
We carry the scars, the hurts, the defeat and move on.
When we stand at the threshold, it isn’t a fresh start or a new page. It’s the next page, the next step, the next phase. Could it be that we are lying to ourselves about what we can still become?
There is only who we are and where we are going from here.
Every spring produces new sets of flowers. Flowers from last season do not return. Likewise, our lives are not returning to the beginning. Spring is not returning next year. Instead, it’s an annual cycle.
The year may be new, but it is still us, with our pain, history, and lessons. It’s up to us which experience we would allow to guide and navigate the path we’re taking here onward. We can’t reclaim what we had lost because there is no clean slate. It’s about who we are today.
From a different perspective, my story may look like a standalone chapter. But for me, I’m building a sequel, a continuation from the previous theme, one that requires restructuring and recalibrating on the path to recovery.
— purposefullifenow.com
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Photo by Ithalu Dominguez from Pexels
I can’t set the broken pieces of my past ablaze because the lessons carry me through to the next phase of my life. I reconcile myself to the fact that an experience has ended, and I’m moving on. I may never live those days again, but the effect and the impact they leave behind will always remain a part of me.
Life experiences can sometimes push us to the point of insanity. Amid the despair and frustration, we expect to start anew.
We try our best to pretend as if nothing has happened, attempting to cast everything behind us. Despite our good intentions to move along rapidly, we forget that in those broken pieces, we find our worth.
Original Photo by Tiểu Bảo Trương from Pexels
Perhaps that is why beginnings emerge from the darkness. The moon ushers us through the darkest time of the day, from midnight to the first light, the dawn of another day.
Out of the cracks that run across the surface of my heart, I look forward to new shoots signifying growth. I recreate myself in this journey of transformation, continuing from where I left off. The stump of my past life continues to support and nourish my growth in every phase as I move forward. They remind me of the mistakes I’ve made, hopefully never having to walk down the same path again.
There is nothing wrong or shameful about falling apart. It’s part and parcel of growth and change. We take every chance we get to rebuild and recreate better versions of ourselves. It’s in this space between brokenness and rebuilding that we pay the price of renewal.
From a different perspective, my story may look like a standalone chapter. But for me, I’m building a sequel, a continuation from the previous theme, one that requires restructuring and recalibrating on the path to recovery.
I guess at the end, it’s up to us to call it whatever we want — endings, beginnings, or a continuation. No matter how we choose to label it, one truth remains. Existence is continuous, without a gap in between. Just as the waves constantly change, the ocean remains. Likewise, our paths may divert, but life remains. The journey continues forth.
Endings, as we expect it, don’t quite mean the end. Beginnings may not necessarily mean starting over. It’s just a momentary pause before we pick up the pieces and get back on track. So do not fret even if the rain pours and the winds howl and hiss, carrying away your peace at the moment. Because tomorrow, the sun will rise again.
