Beginnings and Endings

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” ~Semisonic, “Closing Time”

A friend of mine was telling me recently about a difficult breakup she was experiencing. The ending of a relationship is rarely easy and is often fraught with complicated emotions, messy situations, and disappointments. We have such high hopes at the beginning of things, don’t we? And it can be sad to let them go when it ends.

Bittersweet, mixed emotions.

The older I get, the more I come to realize that life and everything in it is not all good or all bad, black or white. It’s full of grey areas. So think of a loved one– there are probably lots of things you love about them, along with a few qualities that annoy you. Think about your job, or your close friends, or the place you live– everything has some good and some not so good. There are always things we’d like to remain the same and some things we wish we could change. And it’s the same for almost everything in life.

As we approach the end of another year, it’s the time when we usually start thinking about resolutions for the new year. So I’d encourage you to spend a few minutes considering the good and the bad of this past year. What did you love? What did you enjoy? Which were the best moments? Which things didn’t go so well? Are there qualities about yourself that you’d like to change? Are there relationships that need to end, or change? What would you like to do differently in the new year?

The song lyrics above remind us that every ending in life comes from a beginning. We’re constantly ending old projects (or relationships or jobs) and starting new chapters. If you’re interested in learning about how music therapy or GIM can help with your beginnings and endings, I’m always happy to answer questions!  Contact me anytime.