Accepting the Sunset

Santa Barbara, CA Sunset

First of all, yes, this picture was taken from my backyard. Yes, that's the ocean. Yes, I know I'm incredibly lucky.

Looking at this gorgeous sunset last night made me think about sunsets that we all deal with in life. Yea, literal sunsets are beautiful and colorful and endlessly romantic. However, figurative sunsets, like the end of a friendship or a time in your life, are much harder to accept. If you're anything like me, you have a hard time moving on to new chapters of life, no matter how excited you are for the next "sunrise". 

In my experience, people have lots of different methods for moving on and moving forward. As the end of my college years come creeping forward, I find it interesting to observe how I deal with the end of this are in comparison to how my friends deal with it. 

I worry, I plan, and I do anything to avoid uncertainty. Many people just plan to move home after graduation and figure it out from there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I can't do it. I need to know that I'll have a job. I need to know that I'll have a plan for moving out. I just need to know.

Sometimes, though, it seems obvious to me that by being so conscious of making sure I know what the next step is, I forget to enjoy the stage I'm in now. The sunset is quickly arriving, but it's not here yet. I have about 4 months to explore the city I live in, run and hike all the surrounding trails, and eat at all the restaurants I've always wanted to try. So, that's what I'm going to try and do, and I'll document some of the gems I find right here on my blog. 

Like everything, moving forward is about balance. Plan a little, enjoy now a little. 

How do you deal with accepting that one stage is over and another is coming? Have you ever gotten any advice that's helped you?

xo

Toni