Client Corner: "It Goes On" by Anonymous

It goes on.

There is something grounding in the continuous coming of the waves and going of the sun.

When I was much younger, my grandmother passed away. I did not get a chance to know her very well, but my mom always says I am very much like her. I still haven’t figure out if that’s good or bad. I’m still figuring that out. I’m still figuring a lot of things out.

The first time my heart was broken, my mom told me something that has always stuck with me. She said, “When my mother died, I remember being at the beach and thinking ‘How can the waves keep crashing don’t they know what has happened?’, and in the answer, I found comfort. Because, that’s just the thing, no matter what has happened or will happen, those waves will keep on. It all goes on, and so can you.”

As I have gotten older, I continue to think about this. I’ve recently looked to the beach a lot lately to help me with my recovery, which many find odd because of my fear of the ocean – I’m working on that – but honestly, there is so much peace for me in the ocean too, and the slight fear and the unknown of the deep ocean fits the feelings I have about my new sober life ahead of me, peaceful but also scary sometimes. I find that some days the ocean really does call me to it, and I go, even on days I don’t even know I need its solace. It’s always there. When I get there, I just watch the waves come and the sun go, and no matter when or what has happened, they are both there continuing life - illustrating that continuing is possible.

Loss comes in many forms. Change comes in many ways. Regardless, it all goes on – with or without us. The waves will keep crashing; the sun will keep rising and setting; time will keep passing.

It goes on. Life goes on – with or without. We don’t always want it to go without. We don’t want to go without. But, it will and it needs to, and we will and we need to. And really, we need it to, too. It’s not all here just for us. There’s more, and it’s bigger.

There’s fear and comfort in the forward motion of it all. The passage is scary, but the ongoing is reassuring.

We can move on. We can move forward. In this life and in the next.

Contribute your verse. Be powerful like the waves and the sun.