“The beginning is the end. The end is the beginning.” – Alina Baraz
I love good music and I had been anticipating this album’s release date. In my opinion, music has a way of comforting one’s soul and saying what we sometimes can’t find the words to say. Because of this, I thoroughly explored the artist’s, Alina Baraz, description of her album, It Was Divine. It’s mentioned that the album was created to heal. As I explored the songs within the description, I stopped in my tracks when I ran across the song entitled, “The Beginning.” In the description, Alina stated, “The beginning is the end. The end is the beginning.” That’s profound, right? The song talks about a relationship, but this concept can be applied to other life experiences.
Within the last few months, my personal work and professional work with clients have centered around the concept of beginnings and endings. From relationship statuses to family dynamics, even to the current state of our world, I found myself grappling with the concept that there could be beauty in both beginnings and endings. So, when I read the description of this song, I had an epiphany. My epiphany was that there really is beauty within the two simply due to the notion that when something ends, something new begins!
It seems quite paradoxical but think about what it means to have something begin and end. We often don’t think about things ending when they begin. Beginnings can represent a fresh start! Sometimes we welcome the beginning because it signifies that a chapter in our life has ended. You may discover along your journey that ways of thinking and being in this world no longer serve you, which prompts change. Change is inevitable and for something to change, it must go through the beginning and the end. It can be hard to go through life’s many transitions, but there is beauty in the journey.
While thinking about this concept, I can’t mention it without also identifying how it is associated with grief. In some ways, we lose certain parts of our life only to find that there is something awaiting us on the other side. Yes, you may feel sad. And yes, it may take time to understand what has happened. And, I don’t mean to oversimplify grief because it can be complex. However, once you allow yourself to feel whatever comes up, you may find that things get a little better. Joy may come! Peace may come! Or, it could be that you were finally able to understand what happened. Grief can look like so many things for each individual person. It has stages and sometimes you may find yourself going back and forth between them. Nevertheless, as you process your grief, you’ll learn that each stage serves a purpose.
I believe that there is beauty in our pain. We may not understand why certain situations occurred in our lives, but without them, we may not be who we are present day. Nobody promised that there would always be rainbows and sunny skies. Yet, I do know that there are resiliency and strength within sharing our stories. There is beauty in the way that things begin and end in our lives.
As I bring my thoughts to a close, I invite you to think about it. What do beginnings and endings look like in your life? Do you find that there was beauty in both the beginning and the end? What did you learn from your experience? If you find it difficult to answer some of these questions, know that you are not alone. It can be challenging to put a voice to our experiences because they can stir up a plethora of emotions within the self. However, support is all around if you desire to take ahold of it. As a therapist, I stand with many of my colleagues who are honored to assist you with answering these questions. I know what it’s like to stay silenced about my beginnings and endings. With the help from others and the desire to heal, I found my voice. It is my life’s work to assist others with finding theirs too!
Peace and Blessings! Ashé! - Aneisha Dunmore, LCSW
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