Life's loose ends are the reason for living
Marie Snider
Originally published 01:13 p.m., February 15, 2008
Updated 01:13 p.m., February 15, 2008
My life is full of loose ends this week.
Closets to begin turning from winter to spring. A web page to finish designing. Kitchen cupboards to finish rearranging. Contracts to finish negotiating. A wonderful book to finish reading.
And that’s just the beginning of my “to do” list. It wouldn’t seem so bad, except that it turns out to be the story of my life. My whole life.
It’s been more than 50 years since a high school girl dutifully packed up a tall stack of books each 4 p.m., carried them home on the bus and then back to school in the morning. Sometimes opening them in between. Sometimes not. But in either case, the loose ends were there.
A decade later, a young teacher from Canada was overjoyed to be home for Christmas. Sitting on a footstool... soaking up the furnace warmth... talking far into the night. But always with the haunting image of a briefcase filled with ungraded high school English themes.
And so it is that I’m tired of the loose ends of life. Just for once, I’d like to be totally “caught up.” To have all my files organized and all my closets cleaned at the same time. To have all the old clothes taken to the economy shop. And all the shopping done.
To have my living room tidy at the same time that the bathroom is clean. To have all my letters written and all my bills paid. To have all my weeds pulled and all my flowers deadheaded. To have my desk tidy without stuffing everything into the top drawer.
Closure is what I’d really like. Just for once in my lifetime, I’d like to see all the loose ends tied up at the same time.
Yes, that’s what I’m tempted to think I want. But then I recall what William Browne said about life back in 1613. Wrote Browne, “Life is a bubble.”
Deep in my soul I know that a bubble can burst at any moment. And when the bubble does bursts, the loose ends will take care of themselves.
Then someone else will finish writing our letters and grading our English themes. Someone else will finish tidying our closets and deadheading our flowers. Someone else will resolve the conflict. Someone else will give our clothes to the economy shop.
It turns out today is our only chance to accept the challenge of the loose ends of life.
It’s the unfinished work of our lives that’s our reason for being. All the interacting with people around problems, all the fulfilling of our obligations, all the cleaning and sorting and planting and harvesting and healing. And when it’s over, there is no more reason to live.
So why not think about your loose ends right now. Write down your unfinished business. Then ask which things you could drop? Which things matter most to you? And which you want to be absolutely sure to complete?
Then today, before the beautiful bubble bursts, give thanks for the challenge and joy of life’s loose ends.
Marie Snider is an award-winning healthcare writer and syndicated columnist. Write Marie Snider at thisside60@aol.com or visit her website at www.visit-snider.com