Saying goodbye to yesterday

I remember the moment I stared at the open casket of my late father. For most of the funeral service I managed to remain composed and hold my emotions intact. Then when it came to that final moment before the undertaker would close the lid of the casket on a man who impacted my life beyond what I can articulate, my emotions unraveled at the seams. 

There are moments when goodbye is more than the words expressed to another. It is as if we articulate in our final embrace the words which we have struggled to convey through a lifetime of being together. It is when we must relinquish the accumulated memories of time well-spent and walk in the opposite direction, that life takes an unexpected turn.

Similarly, losing the grip of a friendship which has anchored one’s heart or dealing with the reality that a friend has now become a dueling foe, is a litmus test for the soul. It is when we are thrown into the arena of dealing with the complexity of life that the beckoning call of maturity bring us to reality. It is one thing to invite something or someone into our lives, but it altogether different when we have to say goodbye. Saying goodbye facilitates a process which clears the chambers of the heart. It is when one often disallows a process to continue that you position yourself to gain a different perspective of life. 

I must admit that there are moments when you reallow entry to the very things you have evicted from your life. Sadly, those are the moments when you allow your heart to be subjected to continued bruising and when you refuse to take heed of the lessons learned before. Failure to understand that goodbyes signal the beginning of change that propels one in the direction of destiny. There are too many times when we expect to rest in the shade of yesterday’s shadow. Historic shadows have the tendency to cast doubt on the clarity of the river of opportunity. These shadows hold us captive on the bank of the river and disallow us from disrobing from our discontent. 

The harsh reality about remaining on the banks of the river is that we never progress to better opportunities. All too often have we simply waved at the opportunities on the other side of the river without experiencing its embrace. The challenge however is to leave the bank of the river and to plunge deep into the extremity of change. While we always run the risk of either being swept away by the strong current of opportunity or we choose to drown in the fear of ambivalence. Yet, no one who has merely placed their toe in the water of opportunity has fully appreciated the magnitude of the greater moment.

There are moments when I realise that I have consciously decided to nestle my head on the shoulder of the present. For the act of embrace suggests that one is holding on for a moment to that which is never guaranteed to be yours. For there will come a moment when you need to lift your gaze into the future and turn your back on the embrace of yesterday. And moving onto the next chapter, a new journey, an exciting challenge or a different approach lies within the grasp of every heart which has the courage to say goodbye to yesterday.