The end of an era

Morning Joy, Love and Work-ers!

Recently I found myself at the end of an era, it wasn't entirely unexpected and didn't announce itself with great fanfare but I noticed being cloaked in a peculiar form of melancholy and sadness that only presents itself when something is ending, over, finished, done.

And I am sad.

Life and work are full of eras, some good some bad, eras are the markers that announce we're alive, signifying progress, growth, possibility and change, and that's why they can be painful. Transitioning from one thing to another whether known or not, has more than its fair share of wildness attached. We long for change but we hate the way it sometimes catches us.

Sadness isn't a very popular thing, we get uncomfortable when we or other people are sad wanting to cheer up and get back to normal as soon as possible, but if we skip sadness I think we miss a lot. For me sadness gets me closer to God, makes me slow down and pay attention, take better care of myself and be more thoughtful about others - things which often fall by the wayside in my usual 'high-octane' life.

My saddest end of an era happened in the second half of 1999 when in just eight short weeks and with enormous support from my family and friends I moved my entire life from the UK to the USA. I was a mess, sadder than I could ever have imagined possible and barely able to function. But eleven-and-a-bit years later I'm here to tell you that the end of that era opened a whole new one that was one of the best things that's ever happened to me and has presented more gifts and blessings than I could ever count.

Sadness is the opposite of Joy but it isn't bad. It just is. For me sadness makes Joy even sweeter but I won't rush to get back to Joy, if I did I might miss too much along the way.