Picture this – It’s January. Three 18 inch long aged pieces of oak are crackling in the fireplace. An over-sized, multi-colored, Havanese is curled at my feet on the ottoman adjacent to my corduroy recliner. The sun is shining and the view from the front picture window is of pink, red and white camellias blooming in abundance. The setting in the cottage is perfect for reading.
I’ve always enjoyed a good book. Most people do. I’ve not yet been able to read a book off the iPad. I get too much pleasure from turning the page. I even enjoy looking at the book mark, to measure where I am in relation to the end. As I progress through the book, turning the pages becomes a reflection of my emotional attachment to the material. If it’s particularly good, I seem to turn the pages much quicker. Until I get near the end, when I seem to turn the pages in slow motion. Those last few pages are always the most difficult to turn. Why? Because I don’t want it to end. I want to read the conclusion or resolution, but I don’t want the experience to end.
Have you ever stopped to think how often we turn the page in life? The end of a job and the beginning of another. The end or the beginning of a relationship. Moving to a new home, new city, or unfamiliar geographic location. The addition of a child. The loss of a friend or relative. Learning a new skill or hobby. Letting go of a bad habit. Starting a diet. Becoming a vegetarian or a vegan. This list could go on for quite a while.
Like a good book, turning the page in life is often difficult. I frequently go through several stages when I’m faced with turning the page in life. I hesitate. I ponder. I lament. I get melancholy and nostalgic. Depending on the situation, I sometimes feel a sense of loss. I get butterflies. I rationalize both good and bad things. Then I step back and pull my emotions out of the situation. I have to do that in order to turn the page.
By extracting my emotions, my mind is able to think positive. I trade in the feeling of hesitation for anticipation. Instead of lamenting, being melancholy or nostalgic, I think eagerly forward with a child-like imagination.
Don’t get me wrong. Turning a page in life is not an easy undertaking. It takes focus, fortitude and faith. You have to believe in yourself and the change confronting you.
Dr. Blaine Lee put it best in the following quote:
“Any change, any loss, does not make us victims. Others can shake you, surprise you, disappoint you, but they can’t prevent you from acting, from taking the situation you’re presented with and moving on. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation, you can always do something. You always have a choice and the choice can be power.”
Turning the page in life is all about the seizing the power within us all and making positive choices. Through those positive choices, I and you will be able to face any challenge and move on to the next adventure in life.
Until next time….