THE END OF SUMMER
Yes, it's once again that time of year when the summer begins dying. For many of us, it signals the end of vacations, time at the beach, closing up summer homes, the end of the season for most baseball teams, and time to return home from summer adventures. The end of summer also sometimes meant the end of relationships (maybe to be renewed later...maybe not), and the end of so many more things. But is it really the end? Or is it a morphing into something new? Is death the end or just another beginning? Seeing things in such a black and white way, i.e., a beginning and end, right and wrong, shadow and light, is at times helpful. But it can also be limiting and may bring unnecessary pain. The limiting perspective that may come about from seeing life in this way also brings about a certain amount of expectation. We assume that because it happened a specific way last time it will happen that way again. And when it is different, we might experience disappointment or confusion. Of course, things can happen almost exactly like they did last time, but each year or each time you experience something, be it for the first time or the tenth time, it is different. Allowing ourselves to know that each experience in life is different than the one before helps keep some of those expectations at bay, thus enabling us to see (or at least be aware) that it can be different this time. Of course, there are certain circumstances in life that dictate when we take certain actions, we can expect certain results, such as: we buy something, bring it home and we expect it to work; or we ask someone to do something and they do it. And what if that merchandise doesn't work or that person doesn't do what we have asked? Did we have expectations? Yes. Is it all right to have expectations? Of course! So, I want you to use your discretion. Challenging ourselves to step outside the box and see things from a different perspective will, over time, allow us to have more peace in our lives. Over the next several weeks in the Ah-Man Blog, I will talk about life experiences such as death, loss of a job, and the end of a relationship. As always, I enjoy your comments and when you share your experiences with me as well. |