As we bid goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019, we must recognize that endings are inevitable and a time for introspection as we wait to welcome new beginnings…

Everything good or bad comes to an end. That’s the way life strikes her balance. And that is one of the lessons that the Universe teaches us time and again – through Seasonal cycles, through the nature of time and the cycle of birth, growth, decay and death.

Every ending brings with it some regret, some pain, and a sense of loss. And yet, as we all know through personal experience, in time the pain and regret wear out as we start immersing ourselves in a new beginning. Slowly, but assuredly, autumn will give way to spring. And, just as surely the blooms of spring will wither away into another autumn. Both seasons come with their own sense of beauty and purpose. Paraphrasing Shelley, if winter comes, spring can never be far behind!

Nature knows her cycles and inexorably follows these. But do we know ours? Are we aware of our exit lines and do we attempt to deliver these just as gracefully as we welcome beginnings? Not just in matters as grave as life and death, almost every day we encounter beginnings and endings, no matter how small. It is important to recognize these, be it relationships, jobs, or a stage of life. It could be some work you are doing – writing, painting, creating or making something. Or it could be when your children fly the nest…

As anyone who writes, paints or indulges in any creative activity can tell you, it is very tough to let go of your work and declare it done. You can always improve that piece of writing, a poem, a painting, a lyric or even the sound of music. Leonardo da Vinci put this succinctly when he said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned!”

It is important to understand when something reaches its end. If we do so we will be able to let go without denying its validity and significance in making us what we are. If we keep fighting the end, we just increase the pain. This is particularly true of relationships or jobs that we are working on. We find it tough to let go when the time comes. People in our lives sometimes just play out their roles and move on, and that is how it is meant to be. Dignity lies in getting a sense of the ending and letting go gracefully.

Endings are times for introspection and philosophizing. We must pause at every ending and internalize the lessons learnt before we move on. That is why at the juncture when the old year gives way to the new, we make New Year resolutions.

Children grow up and no longer need us for the same reasons they did earlier. The time to transition from disciplinarian and protector to a friendly, supportive parent must be recognized if we wish to stay relevant in their lives. Couples who recognize early that they are mismatched and step away with mutual agreement, sometimes make the best friends in the long run.

When we celebrate the ending of 2018 tomorrow and the very next day welcome the New Year, the invaluable lesson we learn is that after every ending, comes a new beginning and both deserve celebration – that is the way of life!