From Beginning To End

We have arrived at the end of the school year. Baccalaureate and Graduation have just happened in the last couple days and before you know it, a new group of young, inspired, ambitious adults will be headed into the world; some to college, some to the workforce, but all on their own. I watched our oldest dive headlong into a life all his own this past year. We sent a boy to college and after the first year we got back, well, an older boy. Kidding. We sent a young man out into the world and have seen him grow and change in the most wonderful ways. The end of this year makes Franklin a Junior in High School. Only two more years. I remember thinking that with Ben, also. Only two more years . . . But the end of one thing most typically signals the beginning of another. I attended graduation and have multiple grad parties to attend yet today, so will keep this brief. I just want to touch on a few thoughts I have had about the ending/beginning of things.

There is a movie I really, REALLY like called, “Hope Floats.” It’s a tear-jerker that is packed with some wonderful life lessons embedded in the realities portrayed. There is a quote toward the end of the movie that has always stuck with me. It says, “Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.” 

Beginnings are scary. They always are. I remember very well the first day of every job I have ever had. I remember the anxiety and tension and apprehension. I remember the drive to learn fast and learn well and then apply what I had learned to what I had to do and do it to the best of my ability. But the scary parts are what stick out. I remember trying to remember all of the new things. I remember being afraid of screwing up. But the important thing is, I remember. I also remember the last day of every job I have ever had. I remember the emotions welling up because of the separation that was about to happen. I think back to my most recent employment at the dental clinic. I remember having lots of people through the years begin and end their time with our office. And I remember thinking once that I didn’t know if I would ever be able to leave the office. It was comfortable and I loved the job. I loved the patients. I miss the patients and people I worked with over the years. I couldn’t imagine my life apart from doing that job. But if Covid has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected and never think things will stay the same forever. In fact, before Covid we knew that. We know that the only thing that NEVER changes is change itself. Things are in a constant state of growth and change. If it isn’t it is dead. We are green and growing or ripe and rotting. If the job at the dental clinic hadn’t come to an end, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, personally or professionally. I have grown and changed A LOT in the last year. 

But just like the quote says, the middle is where I remember the most joy and growth and life happening. It was there, in all things, that I have loved and laughed and lived. The relationships and the battles I fought have made me who I am. Not the first day or the last day. The middle. I remember the day the boys were born. I don’t remember with the same exactness all of the days between, but I do know that if I had to forget their birth to remember the rest I would happily do that. Yes, the day they arrived was special. Those two days were the best days of my life, quite honestly. But, between here and there are those moments where we have made the important things happen. It’s what is in the middle that counts. 

As I look back on the first day of the health journey I started, I can remember the excitement of it all. I can remember what I ate . . . every snack and meal . . . all day long. I remember how I felt. I remember what I thought. I don’t remember every single day between then and now, but again, it’s where all the change and growth for me has happened. I have loved and hated this journey. I have wanted to keep going and wanted to quit on this journey. I have succeeded and failed; I have laughed and cried; I have crawled and I have run. But in all of it, I have continued because I know it’s the MIDDLE of the process, the time I am living in right now, that will make or break the entire journey. I wanted to encourage you today, wherever you are, to keep pushing forward. If you haven’t started, then start. There is no “right time” to start something new. How is today any different from next week or next month? If anything, next week and next month, I am only older and even more stubborn, right? Get going. If you’ve started already, then keep moving. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don’t quit on yourself. If you’ve come to the end, then reach back and offer help and support to those who haven’t quite arrived at the end of your journey. I am in the middle. I am not quitting until I reach the end. I don’t know exactly what that is going to look like. But what I do know is that life is already great. With the hard work and sacrifice I have already employed it can only continue to get better from here. Beginning, middle, end. I am worth it. 

#loveyourjourney #youreworthit #bettermewithNewYouCBD #Endo30 #itsuptoyou