There seems to be a lot of group think that 2016 was generally a crappy year, and from a personal perspective, I can understand it. As I have joked on Twitter – I officially got divorced, had to sell my house and lost a job – and all of that disappointment still didn’t compare to November 8, 2016. I hope I look back on this year and despite the difficulties, can say “man, but it was needed”, sort of like a root canal: painful but better than the alternative.
Politics (and embellishment) aside, this year was about endings. And endings are important. They don’t get as much press as their more popular cousin “beginnings” but they should. Beginnings would barely exist if it weren’t for them, after all.
As I learned this year, there’s hardly a good time for things to end, but there usually is a right time. Regardless of where you stood on the political spectrum, I really haven’t met anyone who has wished that the election cycle would have carried on for another second. It was not only a good time for that to end, but probably also beyond the right time, too.
On a personal note, it was a tough year with spots of incredible beauty – including watching my kids continue to blossom into pretty amazing humanoids, being grateful for my mother coming out of heart surgery, landing a job with a pretty amazing team and among all of this, experiencing painful endings, as well. Life is tough and messy and impermanent and if you step into the fear with an open heart, you will not regret it – because feeling, even difficulties, is better than being numb. It’s how we experience love.
Sometimes it takes a good ending to find out what you’re made of and learn that you’re not so breakable, after all. So, let’s not shy away from endings, for they are the stuff of great narratives, amazing lyrics and someday, even better beginnings.
Here’s to a meaningful 2017 and until next time,
Marc