It's Not the End of the World

Perpetual Clock, Prague, Czech Republic

Despite all the hype--the world did not end yesterday with the end of the Mayan Calendar. It does, however, find me reflecting on the concept of endings and beginnings. What is it about endings that tends to bring on such fear and hype? And i don't mean the end of the Mayan Calendar, but any ending, all those conclusions, terminations, halts... We fear endings, it represents the unknown, even if an ending is a good thing. It means having to make a conscious effort for something different, a change in our routine. We long for consistency, we revere it to religious magnitude in "worlds without end, Amen."

But endings are such gifts! The Japanese word, kaizen, embraces this in its definition as change for the better. We need change, fresh starts, new outlooks, brand new experiences. Athough change is often hard, painful, makes us mourn, breaks our hearts, an ending should be an anticipation for something new, an opportunity for growth, room for the next thing, appreciation for what was and what can become.

We can't live in fear of change. Its not appropriate to cocoon ourselves in bubbles of isolation to avoid endings...for have we really lived if we do? We should never resist beginnings for fear of the ending. This is my takeaway for today. Breathe, laugh, dance, love, live...fearlessly.

First Hello, Last Goodbye - Roger Whitaker

They say when you gain a lover
You begin to lose a friend
That the end of the beginning's
The beginning of the end
They say the moment that you're born
Is when you start to die
And the first time that we said hello
Began our last goodbye

We know each summer's coming
Means the winter's waiting there
And gold would not be precious
If we all had gold to spare
You only know how low is low
The first time that you fly
And the first time that we said hello
Began our last goodbye

If I could live forever
It is certain I could never
Know another single second so sublime
That moment of our meeting
When our hands first touched in greeting
How I wanted to hold back the hands of time

When they begin the overture
They start to end the show
When you said "I'll never leave you,"
Then I knew that you would go
The sound of all our laughter
Is now echoed in a sigh
And the first time that we said hello
Began our last goodbye

If I could live forever
It is certain I could never know
Another single second so sublime
That moment of our meeting
When our hands first touched in greeting
How I wanted to hold back the hands of time (hands of time)

When they begin the overture
They start to end the show
When you said "I'll never leave you,"
Then I knew that you would go
The sound of all our laughter
Is now echoed in a sigh
And the first time that we said hello
Began our last goodbye
And the first time that we said hello
Began our last goodbye