Chapters

Funny how life has its chapters. Like a book you don't rally know what they are about until you are into them and you eventually complete them....

Transcript

Recently, I was involved with a tragic emotionally testing funeral and a large joyous wedding in one week. Got me thinking about the ups and down, the beginning and the ends of life. 

 Got me thinking about how life is like a book. It has 'chapters'. We have all these names for the various 'chapters' of life. 

The chapters are names like chapters in a book. The name of the chapter tells you about the central aspect of the story in that chapter. You don't know the full story of that chapter until you actually read it, and then, "Hey presto!". You can see exactly why the author named the chapter the way he/she did when you complete that bit.  

Same in life. You only seem to really 'get' the main things about each life chapter when you are in it and getting to the end of it!  

This awareness of life chapters probably begins pretty early. School is a set of defined chapters we celebrate - completion of Primary School. Completion of Middle school, Yr 12 and the completion of school all together! The you are officially in the 'young adult' chapter.  

You have this rather daunting 'open future' ahead of you that to this point way beyond what you have already experienced. Chapters are like that. They can be scary to begin. But with support, humility to listen and learn, ask questions so you eventually form your own thoughts, you get there. 

Then questions about each next chapter come. When are you going to hook up with a life-partner? When are you going to get married (another chapter) . When you get married, when are you going to have kids (another chapter).  

Then strange chapters, less definable come your way. Of course, before you get to them you only know them in theory. You might even dismiss them as chapters that are not really real and not worth thinking about.....until you yourself stumble into them.  

Then all of sudden, the names for these chapters that you have heard about and dismissed as a young person take on big meaning because they actually describe the main bit of that chapter... You become a "Young Couple". You become "Empty Nesters". The last 20 years of caring for and enjoying kids and teens everyday is now over. They have flown the coop to live their next chapter. You hit this thing called "Mid Life". "What have I done so far with my limited life and is it good enough? AM I good enough? It is then that there is often the grief of losing your grandparents/parents and even some mates..... 

All of a sudden you are now in the "Seniors" chapter. You notice that your capacity to do things you have always enjoyed and been able to do easily is now diminishing and that tis will continue. But if your lucky, there might be a grandchild or two to enjoy. Maybe you think more seriously that you ever have about how unimportant things are and how important people are. Yu think about leaving your mark,..... Then you are in the "Sunset Years"...... 

Not sure where you are and wat this chapter is like at the moment? Seems better to take on board the names of the chapters and really get into them rather than ignoring the names and the things each chapter brings to light. That is just denial and it will leave you shallow to what is actually going on for you and shallow in your relationships with others living in their own chapters.  

Cool thing is that once that page is turned and the chapter finished for you, you might hen be able to support someone else who is just hitting the first pages or struggling with what is going on in the middle of that chapter when things are a bit confusing and the story line seems interrupted and unclear.  

They all count, these chapters, because everyone counts. The question I often ponder is who is the author - just me, or the close people around me or Another who has all the pages of me covered?