Between two sunsets...a place where rest and renewal reside.
Just like you, it's important that I find renewal for myself, in order to keep offering a healing space for others. Although I grew up near the beach, when I have the opportunity for renewal, I am drawn to the forest. I did not experience what the forest could offer until my young adult life. It was in the forest that I discovered a deep sense of calm in myself and appreciation for being in nature - - the crisp air, the beauty of the landscape, the presence of forest creatures, and the sounds of those who reside there.
During my most recent visit to the forest, I arrived at my location just before sunset. Thus, I found myself curious about what the evening had to offer. I spent a few hours stargazing, laying under the milky way, and appreciating the vastness of the solar system. Unexpectedly, I witnessed a shooting star that dashed by so closely that it felt like I could have reached out and touched it. Then, I had a realization...we wouldn't have shooting stars, if stars didn't die. As I fell asleep, I pondered the question, "what else do endings give us?"
The next morning I enjoyed the peace and quiet at pre-dawn followed by the awakening of the forest at sunrise. After breakfast, I went for a hike through the pines and came upon what looked like marshmallow cream on a dead tree. As I moved closer, I noticed it was a mushroom, tucked under the edge of the bark within the decaying tree. I wondered, "what were the conditions that made this an ideal home for the mushroom?" The tree, although dead, still had a purpose, or at least in the case of this mushroom. Quite literally, the mushroom was the new life that came from the tree's ending.
As I continued on my hike, I also noticed the presence of fallen leaves, the ones that hint at the approach of fall. The changing of the leaves represents an end of a season and the beginning of another. When clients reach out for therapy, it's not uncommon that they are facing the ending of something significant in their life. This is the space that I often occupy as a therapist...helping clients grieve what is needed for finding acceptance of an 'ending,' often followed by exploring new beginnings.
Ultimately, we would probably not recognize new beginnings, in the same way, without the contrast of the endings that precede them. The milky way gives us shooting stars, decaying trees offer homes to mushrooms, and the falling leaves alert us to a new season approaching. So the next time you notice an ending, pay attention to what might be coming. What is the light that is following the darkness? I trust that you will come to appreciate endings, with somewhat greater ease, when you are able to notice the beauty of the beginnings that often emerge from them.
