It's been a week of convergent endings, in life in general and my own in particular. My last week of work coincided with both Oprah Winfrey's and Mary Hart's (who retired after 30 years hosting Entertainment Tonight). Although I didn't have quite the sendoff these gals had, Tuesday marked a definite shift in my lifestyle and my prospects for the future, one I'm eagerly anticipating. This was also the last week for two of my favorite competition/reality shows - Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. We follow these shows from the beginning, and I can't help but get involved in the lives of the competitors and I miss them when the shows come to an end. I'm just a sucker for watching people develop a talent into individual greatness, particularly when you see someone like Hines Ward (a football player for Pete's sake!) turn into a joyful, elegant ballroom dancer.
It makes you believe you can do anything if you set your mind to it.
Also this week, we're in Florida, making the first moves towards putting our house on the market to sell. This is bittersweet for us. We've had some wonderful times here, and we put the house together totally from scratch. At the desk where I'm sitting is a collection of photographs my son took as the house was being built 10 years ago. Once it was finished, we had the delightful task of furnishing it from top to bottom - that was the most fun as a "homemaker" I've ever had, and it's doubtful whether I'll ever have another experience that comes close to resembling that. As my husband says, this is probably the best house we'll ever own, so there's no surprise we have some mixed feelings about giving it up. Realistically, it's the sensible thing to do- with a new grandbaby living in Dallas, how much time will we be spending in Florida?
Of course, no one ever said it's fun to be sensible.
Topping of a week of goodbyes was another one to my friend, C., who made the trip back from China only weeks after moving there, due to her mother's death. Although the circumstances were sad, it was an unexpected gift to spend some more time with her, and reminded me again just how much I will miss her in the months/years ahead.
Last week I started rehearsing with my middle school chorus kids, preparing for their big spring concert. One of their selections is a Beatles medley, which includes this song:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBZ8ulc5NTg]
It got stuck in my head after rehearsal the other day..."You say yes, I say no, you say stop, I say go, you say goodbye and I say hello...hello, hello. I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello." It reminds me that with every goodbye comes the opportunity to say hello - to new careers, new homes, new relationships - even new TV shows (can anyone say So You Think You Can Dance?)
So as I say goodbye to some very important places, people, and experiences in my life, I also say hello to what the future might hold. Life in general is full of surprises, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next!
How about you? Have you said goodbye to anything in your life recently? And then said hello to something new and exciting?