Finishing
Today, I finished a six-month education program. Whenever I finish something I almost always have conflicting emotions. On the one hand, there is joy that it is finished, that I have accomplished something worthwhile. Simultaneously, there is an emptiness that betrays the loss of something important to me. I walked away from the program with a certificate of accomplishment, but I will miss the people with whom I studied. I will miss the open, honest conversations and the sense of community I experienced with my fellow students.
Many of the books I used to read about successful living declared the importance of setting goals for one’s life. It seems that the idea behind such thinking is that finishing should give us a sense of accomplishment. When I finished my goals, however, the joy was always short-lived. I felt the need to set new goals and achieve higher standards so that I could feel even better about myself. Finishing was never good enough by itself. To be complete it needed another beginning that diminished the importance of the most recent end.
On this day of finishing, I’m setting no new goals. Instead, I’m being thankful for opportunities, for education, and for fellow travelers who have helped me along the way in the last months. I’m basking in the beauty of the setting day. I’m celebrating what is finished. New goals will come in their due time, but I refuse to allow them to overshadow what I have accomplished. I want to celebrate what I’ve finished undistracted.
Comments
Share your thoughts...
