I don't know if I made this clear, but I left home for the University a little bit early so I could work my mandated holiday shift. For various reasons, when I was given the option some months back, I chose the Christmas shift right before the advent of the second semester.
As it was, the full moon (or, at least it looked like it was full) found me tramping through the snow late last night with two of my fellow RAs, talking and laughing about life as we ensured the residents were doing right. As I usually do leading up to a massive shift in my life, I began to wax pensive in the quiet moments we three shared.
Endings, I believe, seem far more monumental to our mortal minds because there are less of them. We live in a world where many people begin things they never finish. It is far more rare to see someone finish that they have started than to actually see them begin. I can't tell you how many individuals used to scoff the idea that I would ever finish any of my books. Ending, it seems, is far more insurmountable than beginning.
However, I sometimes feel beginnings fail to garner the proper amount of respect they deserve. True, it is easy to take the first step of a thousand miles, but will you walk them? For me, though, no matter how many miles we fail to walk, I think it is more brave to begin than it is to finish. We fear failure. It's written into our makeup. If we never try, we can't fail. And yet, so many people risk it.
Today, I began classes with a new semester. I had many opportunities open before me, and I recognized many others that hadn't changed from last semester. I saw many students come back strong after hesitant semesters. I saw determination and strength in the eyes of many around me.
I saw bravery in the face of a beginning.
No one had given up.
As the year commences, and things kick into gear, I invite you to do the same.
Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this post on April 21, 2016. Click here to read it!
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