Growing Pains

I'm experiencing growing pains, I think. A chapter in my life that I hoped would be a lot longer seems like it may be coming to a close, and I'm not sure where the blank pages ahead are taking me. I don't relish the thought of losing the connections I've made with the wonderful people I've met while I was in this place in my life, but it feels like something good is about to unfold for me. I can't expect it to be easy, or painless. The things that are worth it rarely are.

As I write this, my heart is heavy for my older sister and the woman I had come to know as my future sister-in-law. After nearly nine years together, a run that puts to shame any of my long-term relationships, they have recently decided to separate. I know they're both hurting right now, and I know they both still love each other very much. It's heartrending when two people who care about each other so much have to come to the conclusion that they just can't be together any longer.

January seems to be the time for it. Break-ups, reevaluations, rebirths. Suddenly, personal growth from the previous year can no longer be ignored, and changes that want to be made present themselves whether we want them to or not. The holidays, for many of us, present a maelstrom of emotions which may unbalance us, but they can also offer us perspective: in spending time with our families (natural or chosen) we see where we've come from, and from there, where we're headed and where we want to be become a little clearer.

Armed with this perspective and the maturity I've gained over the last year or so, I go tentatively but steadfastly into whatever it is my path is leading me toward. As soon as I'm done eating my Chef Boyardee dinosaurs with meatballs straight from the can, that is -- they do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.