Endings Lead To Beginnings

Everyone experiences an ending at one time or another, in one way or another. A favorite coffee shop, restaurant or bookstore closes. A relationship falls apart. A job terminates. A marriage dissolves. A person dies.

Endings mean something comfortable and familiar suddenly becomes uncharted and foreign. Endings are bittersweet. In the face of loss, people reinvent themselves and seek new beginnings.

In some instances, endings are solutions to problems, transitions for creative ideas.

Stores and restaurants often change hands or close. Some reopen. When Bodrum Café on Castro closed, the owners reopened a few weeks later as Steakout. They reinvented their focus from Turkish fare to burgers.

Unexpected accidents or tragic events can bring about endings. A fire forced Dittmer’s to close temporarily. Rumor has it they will soon reopen at a new location. Sears closed for redevelopment.

Jobs end because of budget cuts, takeovers or expired contracts. Companies downsize, factories close. Many jobs have been lost in our current economic climate. However, when one door closes another opens. Technology sparks innovation, which creates new products that result in new jobs.

Relationship endings are more complex – feelings and egos are involved. Short or long term, married or dating, it isn’t easy when a relationship ends. Sometimes they end because one of the parties involved is unhappy. Email, voicemail or internet endings are common these days. (I think reading about your breakup on Facebook would be harsh.) Marriages fail because the magic ends or someone destroys trust. Death is life’s final ending.

Whatever the reason for an ending, however it happens, it’s how well we adjust to the change that an ending brings that determines how smoothly or easily we move forward in life.

But one thing is certain. Endings hurt.