LEAVING

Leaving

Some folks light up a room by entering, some by leaving.  We exit this world by dying, but we have the promise of entering a better existence.  And even whole galaxies eventually exit the universe as their stardust enters a new heavenly realm.  We buy life insurance by betting we’ll leave early, while the insurance companies gamble that we’ll pay premiums for many, many moons.  We ultimately leave most all of the places we enter as we meander through life, some forever and some we return to frequently. 

We leave childhood and enter the teenage years.  Then we leave our parents and enter young adulthood.  Many leave the single life, enter lifetime partnerships and then return again.  Some phases of life are strictly one-way paths, however.  And that’s OK, for once traveled, most of those paths are best left behind.  Joseph Campbell implores us to “follow your bliss and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be and wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.”

Bob Buford’s book Halftime is essentially about transitioning the second period of life from one of success to one of significance. Success is good in our first period of life as it lays the groundwork to freely achieve goals of significance. Life at this stage is no longer about money or the approval of others—it’s about finding your sacred dance as your character has matured and grown.

George Bernard Shaw famously noted, “There are two sources of unhappiness in life; one is not getting what you want; the other is getting it.” Entering the second period is about leaving your homey comfort zone and setting out once again to fulfill your ultimate destiny. It’s about leaving the pursuit of external happiness in favor of achieving internal joy in your life.