How the End Begins

Two years ago tomorrow, in the middle of the day, Mamimami breathed her last.

When she first woke up that Tuesday morning, made the day's plans and proceeded to go about her work, she had no idea she wouldn't see the end of that day.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 was her last.

***

When I woke up at 04:40 today morning, I listened to 'If Today was Your Last Day' by Nickelback and 'Running Out of Days' by 3 Doors Down.

This song by Nickelback has some pretty deep lyrics. Here's the first few lines:

 

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last? 

 

As for 'Running Out of Days,' consider the following:

 

There's too much work and I'm spent
There's too much pressure and I admit
I got no time to move ahead
Have you heard one thing that I've said
And all these little things in life they all create this haze
There's too many things to get done, and I'm running out of days
And I can't last here for so long
I feel this current it's so strong
It gets me further down the line
It gets me closer to the line 

We are all running out of days and one day will turn out to be the last for each one of us. 

But how does the end begin?

* * *

 

'The Tail End' is an interesting post on 'Wait But Why.' Tim Urban breaks down a person's lifetime into weeks and then days and it becomes increasingly clear that as far as death is concerned, each new day lived  brings a person closer to the end of life at the rate of 86400 seconds every 24 hours.

Towards the end of the post is an interesting insight: 

despite not being at the end of your life, you may very well be nearing the end of your time with some of the most important people in your life.

This sheds light on how we never really know when we do something or see someone for the very last time. An end is always beginning...

 

But this also applies to change. For something new to start, something old must come to an end. A change of habits involves dropping old ones and adopting new ones. One has to be bold and determined to break away from the allure of comfort zones.

On a personal level, I have been procrastinating writing certain books but it has got to a point where I elected to drop whatever distractions and excuses I have been using to not commit to my stated objectives.

Today marks the beginning of the end for interactions that are not worthwhile or don't add value, the beginning of the end for things I have needlessly held on to. It is when laziness, doubt, procrastination and negligence starts to end.

And for starters, you can see all this in action for yourself at 'Complit Weekly Tales.' where each week, I am posting exciting new stories from books I'm writing, including my High School and University memoirs.

 

* * *

We all know that when it is closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. So starting today, are you gonna walk a different road?

Times and Seasons

In a recent Email , my friend Kellie wrote:

Life is made up of seasons, and what we take out of each season is what matters in the end.

Her words are indeed deep. I therefore took time to think about them and their attendant application in our lives.

You see, everything happens for a reason. In fact, my dad has on so many occasions reminded me that everything happens in its time [o undu na ihinda riaguo].
Furthermore, the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3 begins by emphasizing that

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. [Eccle 3:1]

That established,

the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. [Eccle 3:12-13]

Beyond Ordinary 

Still thinking about seasons, I remember listening to Times & Seasons, a Gospel album that was released by Commissioned in 1999. It features such great tracks as One Love, Testify, Believe, Walk Right and Thank You for Loving Me... among others.
Ordinary Just Won't Do, is one of the songs in this album. It has some enduring lyrics which I proceed to share below:

A quest in order to find
What lies in my heart, in my soul, in my mind
Sometimes serenity
Sometimes there's misery
So many weaknesses and faults I've got to learn to
Share the inner most and secret thoughts
The ordinary person just won't do

The End of Something. The Beginning, of Everything
In light of the foregoing, we all need to realize that there is a reason why things change. There is a reason why endings have to be in place to herald new beginnings.
What matters in all these then, is whatever we learn from it, and whether or not we become better persons as a result of the change.

New Beginnings, Taking a Different Road

"Closing time

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

- Closing Time by Semisonic

Change is Constant
Every so often, I find myself going through changes. Some of them are far-fetched, some require lots of input, some are inevitable and yet others are mere enhancements to what is already fine, but can get better with a little tweak here and there.

As previously stated on this blog, I recently decided to let go of a big part of my life, to be better placed in attaining my goals in life. Not everything I have had to relinquish has been of no use, but as happens many times in life, I had to let go of many things I really wanted in order that I may gain what I really need.

New Beginnings?
Interestingly, I keep wondering just how NEW these beginnings are. After careful consideration, I realize that NEW is not what's really important. What matters is that it is a beginning.
From the Safe Haven personal story in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, the alcoholic in question realized the following,

I cannot go back and make a brand new start. But I can start from now and  make a brand new end.

Taking a Different Road
For those who subscribe to the Christian faith like yours truly, Kathy Troccoli's A Different Road captures the very essence of change - change that is inspired and unrelenting.



Are you in need of change in your life? Do you feel that there is need to begin walking a different path? Well, you can start right now and by so doing, make a brand new end.