No happy ending

The festival bubble has well and truly burst.

I knew it was coming, but I wanted it to be with a bang – to finish on a high – not the displaced flatness I felt yesterday afternoon. 

It came unexpectedly, just after lunch, when I saw the rain hit the footpath with unrelenting force. Like waking from a dream, I looked out the window, knowing sadly my time was over. Life beyond the bubble beckoned and I reluctantly began my journey back to the people and places that called for my presence.

I wanted to stay, to say goodbye properly, and grant gratitude to those who’d been in the bubble with me for past few days.

Closure.

That’s what I wanted. 

But the lingering unease in my heart told me I didn’t have it.

Bruce Oakman says there’s no such thing.

I heard him say it Friday night and immediately wished I could unhear it. 

Could there be any truth to his declaration? 

It has haunted me since and then yesterday afternoon, was put to the test. 

We all want closure at different times in our life, and search desperately for it, scrambling madly for some kind of satisfying ending to ease the pain of separation and goodbye; to prepare us for the life that goes on, and to begin, again. 

So this is it - my closure, my way of saying goodbye and thank you - it's been an honour, and a privilege to be in the bubble with all you wonderful Writers in Action, talking, sharing, laughing, crying, about writers and words and ideas and passions. 

And to you Sue, big thanks for letting me be part of your WiA bubble. It was an experience I enjoyed greatly and learned so much from.

I am still exploring Bruce's claim regarding closure, but will leave you with this ancient gem; maybe it's what Bruce was on about:

Amidst the worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings. Lao Tzu