Closing a Chapter
The thing about writing is that you don’t always know exactly where the writing will take you. You can have an idea, an outline, even a very specific plan, but sometimes things unfold unexpectedly and you end up closing a chapter very differently than you originally intended.
That’s true about life too. We can make all the plans we want, but ultimately not everything is in our control, not every outcome is up to us. Circumstances change, events happen, other people become involved, and the next thing you know…you’re in a completely different story than the one you wanted to be living. Maybe that’s good, maybe that’s bad, but it’s different and unplanned.
The lesson I’ve learned when things haven’t gone my way (which is mostly everything in my life up to this point), is that accepting how things are leads to more peace than resisting reality and wishing things had been different. Sometimes when you don’t get what you want, it’s even for your own good.
The hardest lesson to learn, I’ve found, is knowing when to bring a chapter to a close. When you’ve chased something or someone and never quite been able to reach your goal, it’s not always easy to know when it’s time to call it. I’ve held on too tightly for too long, I’ve let go too soon, and I’ve questioned myself along the way. Did I make the right choice? Will I regret this?
Sometimes you just know. Sometimes you’ve known for a while and didn’t want to accept it, but eventually reality hits you in the face that it’s time for this chapter to close. It might make you feel something, but sit with those feelings, don’t hide from them or distract yourself from them. Sit with how it feels to bring an end to something, good or bad, that you know has run its course. Don’t ruminate on what'-ifs, but only when you allow yourself to peacefully let the emotions simmer will you be at peace.