There's a sidewalk at the end of my street that just abruptly ends.
Beyond the sidewalk is grass and trees, but no defined walkway.
Perhaps the plan is to build houses in this area and when that time comes, this sidewalk will be extended.
But until then, this is the view I have when I come to the end of my road on my morning run.
Sometimes I run all the way to the end of this sidewalk before I double back.
Other times, I hop off the sidewalk and run on the side of the the road. Then I cross the street to the sidewalk on the other side.
Every time I get to this point though, I pause and look at what's beyond that abrupt ending.
The beautiful green grass, the rows of trees creating an amazing backdrop against a sunny sky.
And it makes me think about how much world there is out there. An entire universe beyond this abrupt and (literally) concrete ending.
Chapters of our lives can be like this sidewalk. Some can end suddenly, without any warning.
Others we can see the end from very far away and are powerless to stop it from happening.
Some people say every ending is a new beginning, but I believe that all of these endings are really just changes in direction.
With every ending, you still carry with you the experiences that you had on your original path. They continue to shape the way you think and the choices you make, so your new direction isn't really a new "beginning," just an altered course.
Like the ending of a chapter, the ending of this particular sidewalk forces me to change direction.
I can choose to double back but stay on the same side of the street.
I can choose to cross the street and find a new route through the side streets of beautiful homes and landscapes.
Or I can choose to go off the sidewalk entirely and out toward that forest if I really wanted to (although I have yet to choose that path!)
The point is that I have a choice. We all do.
Sometimes facing the abrupt endings in our lives can be scary.
But, if we remember that we can always choose to take a new direction, it can help.
Some of us will have to make very few course corrections in life, while others will change direction too many times in life to count.
Through it all, I firmly believe that the changes and course corrections we make lead us to exactly where we are meant to be.
The next time your path hits an abrupt ending, pause and look around.
Consider your alternate routes and options.
Then pick the one that feels right to you (don't forget to smile while you are doing it).
And enjoy where life takes you!