"Why is sunset more colorful than sunrise? It's an irony of life saying: 'sometimes, good things happen in goodbyes."
~ unknown
In the moment, goodbyes are always the hardest. A once blossoming relationship coming to an end, your beloved pet taking their last breath while resting gently upon your arm, or a close relative passing away can all cause an immense amount of grief. When Boyz II Men sang "it's so haaaaarddddd to say goodbyeeeee, to yesterday eyyyyyyy", they certainly meant it. However, with-in that loss and grief lies an immense amount of wisdom waiting to be unearthed.
Relationships ending hurt for a multitude of reasons. Reasons I'm not going to bore you with in this post, but I will tell you from my own experience, it's been the loss of intimate partnerships that has led me to my greatest personal growth and development. Personal growth and development that may not have occurred, had I continued to see the endings of relationships as just that, only endings. These painful endings have led me to where I'm at now, Big Sky, Montana. They've led me to writing a book about self love after a breakup entitled: From Heartbreak to Heart Awake. They've led me to learn more about myself, than I ever could have imagined.
Grieving a dog is never easy, but when you're in the room while they inject the needle, it rips your heart in two. It's something that always loomed, something I always wanted to avoid, but at the end of the day it was something that I needed to do. It taught me one of the greatest gifts, that a dog's love is unconditional (or any pet for that matter.) They watch you shake, they see you cry, they see you laugh, they watch you smile, forever by your side. Had I not been able to say goodbye, I'm not so sure I'd be in the position that I find myself in today. Willing an able to give so much, to a being who asks for so little in return.
To date I think the hardest loss I've endured relative wise would be my grandfather A strapping veteran of World War Two, his strength and demeanor were honorably admirable. Saying goodbye was hard, but it was in his passing, that he would continue to guide me deeper towards my calling. A soft whisper echoed from his gravesite one spring that said "go west." That same "go west" that's been reverberating through my ears along this spiritual path that I've been walking upon.
Without endings, how could we have any beginnings? I guess if you look towards the west on any given evening, you may just catch a glimpse of the answer to that question. As the endings quote states at the beginning of this piece: "Why is sunset more colorful than sunrise? It's an irony of life saying: 'sometimes, good things happen in goodbyes."
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