Why do things have endings? I frequently ponder just how upsetting “the end” of something can be.

For one thing, endings signify that something in your life, something that you knew to be part of your day to day existence, is no more. It means that a chapter in your life is over – and saddest of all – it symbolizes that those particular things that you have experienced will never be experienced again. From the point that the ending begins, you are forced to only remember what is no more, rather then simply experience it as you always used to.

All of us have experienced endings, the end of a job, the end of a relationship – or the death of a loved one. Whether the end of whatever it is you are going through is for the best or not, an ending in general can be a very painful thing to go through. With an ending comes a sense of loss, a feeling of emptiness, a lot of sadness – and a large void signifying that something is gone.

Whenever I go through an ending, whether the ending is a positive step forward, or a sad and unexpected loss, I try my best to get through it using memories. For example, when my father passed away, I was devastated. As a nine year old boy, the loss of my father was an incredible blow to deal with at such a young age. So to help me get though it, I often remembered the happy times that we had together and although I was upset that he was gone, I was able to live through the times that we experienced and in doing so, get through the experience a little easier.

I even use memories to help me get though an ending that is of my choosing. When Lisa and I broke up in 1998, she frequently asked me to get back together with her. Whenever she would talk about reconciliation, I would remember the reasons why we broke up, which would help me realize that the fact that our relationship came to an end was a necessary evil.

So the next time you have to experience the end of something, try to remember either the times before it ended – or the reasons why you ended it.

The end.