From seniors tossing their caps at graduation to freshmen saying goodbye to first-year teachers, endings are inevitable at this time of year. With every conclusion comes change that can be hard to accept, whether it be moving away from home for college or preparing for new classes with unfamiliar faces. But when we resist these changes, we may fail to recognize that all endings create new beginnings.
Endings often require us to abandon what is comfortable or familiar. It is easy to fixate on what we are losing, but doing so prevents us from recognizing what we can earn. Leaving home gives us the chance to meet people we may not have encountered otherwise, while taking different classes each year of high school introduces us to new perspectives that can change the way we see the world. Although these steps forward may require us to move away from what we know or love, they have the potential to fulfill us in a different way. Change brings about new opportunities that can provide the satisfaction we may otherwise miss out on. If we refuse to embrace change, we lose the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and what makes us happy.
The beginnings that endings bring are important but no less important than endings themselves. Endings offer us a moment to pause and consider how fortunate we are to have experiences we struggle to say goodbye to. We grow attached to moments, places or people not just because of the joy they create, but because of what we learn from them. Our past stays with us, shaping the decisions we make in the future. We should recognize that saying goodbye to a chapter of our lives does not mean we have to leave something behind, but rather face an opportunity to carry what we have gained into the future. Resisting change forces us to dwell on the negative emotions that endings sometimes carry with them: sadness, fear and confusion. But defining an ending only by the unhappiness it might create robs us of the chance to appreciate what we have experienced or the wisdom we have gathered.
It is difficult to accept the unknown. Uncertainty about what lies ahead or the people we will become can be extremely daunting. But if we cling to the past, we risk missing what is to come, and it is okay not to know exactly what that may be. Our future is not meant to mirror our past. Every ending creates space for something new to take its place, whether that be college friends who fill us with joy or new teachers who captivate us with their knowledge. If we allow ourselves to think about endings as gateways to new beginnings, these transitions may feel less painful and more empowering. When we make room for change, we open up our arms to new possibilities.
Let us appreciate endings. Without them, the beginning of something wonderful would not be possible.