Let it end....

I went to the U2 concert at the Rose Bowl with my wife Angie a few months ago, and sat there pondering. I am 39 years old, and 25 years after becoming a U2 fan, something of a dream come true was occurring right there in that packed out stadium. I had never seen them live, but quietly wished I would get there someday. However, the thrill was overtaken with a sense of deep satisfaction of knowing that I didn't need to do this again. I savored each moment with my best friend there, and knew in my heart it wouldn't get better than this moment. There was a sense of closure, as if I was now vindicated or freed to accomplish something else now. Certainly something far more thrilling and important than supporting a group (although the best in my opinion) of 50 year old men screaming their souls into a gigantic speaker system. What a rush, but I'm over it..... I mused on the thought of diminishing returns, and that all great things come to an end. So I raise the thought... Are we able to celebrate and savor the ends like we do the beginnings? Can a deep sense of satisfaction overcome us in times when we know that the thrill is going, going, gone? I am really not a nostalgic person, but I do see the past having rich meaning and purpose for occasional reflection. At a funeral for a friend recently I mused again on this thought. Am I sad, yet satisfied at such a perfect ending of a great life lived? Do I look for the next ending around the bend with dread or a sense of curious anticipation? Let it end...and begin again....