
Endings beginning (sourced on Snappa.com, April 20, 2023)
Spring is here (sort of). As the bulbs and shoots push through the dead leaves and other detritus with the literal force of nature, it seems appropriate to muse upon the beginnings that spring from endings. Relationships end (or evolve); periods or phases end (and we move on); projects are completed and filed away, and the next thing appears. Our students have their final exams and concerts, snapshots in time that are celebrations and also passages. We’ve learned and processed a thing, and then it morphs into something else. Another lesson to grapple with, absorb, learn.
I’ve just completed my inaugural EmPowering Your Voice workshop, which truly went far beyond my initial imaginings in terms of the things we explored and learned together, and the ways in which this basic work with breath and voice helped the participants to grow and know more deeply about themselves and the space they can take up in the world. We’re considering where we might go next with it all.
I’ve just ended a relationship that meant a lot to me. It’s been painful, but also necessary. And I’ve had occasion, while pondering this loss, to confer with the people who love and support me, and came across some extraordinary wisdom from my sister-in-law, who is training to become an end-of-life doula. Unsurprisingly, making sense of endings is a big part of her work, and she had this advice to impart (which made me think of teaching, learning, loving, and singing):
“Taking the initiative to end something when it is time is an act of hope and self-confidence. It suggests that we do believe/have hope that with the end of one thing comes the beginning of something else; and also that we have the faith/confidence in ourselves to ‘handle’ the end/death of something. There are many endings in our lives that are beyond our control; interesting therefore to consider the ones that we CAN end as opportunities to ‘practice’ being ok with the ones that we cannot”.
May the endings you are currently choosing (or experiencing) be the beginnings of something beautiful.