Marigold Moon Herbals and Wellness

Edges aren’t a new topic for this blog. I’m very fond of edges and have written about them more than once. Edges fascinate me. The place where two worlds meet is always juicy and full of biodiversity and life. Those physical edges between forest and meadow, between water and shore always bring surprises and treasures. They are neither this nor that, neither here nor there but some magical blend of the two. I found so many plants, insects and wildlife in the edges I have explored. Even the space between sidewalk and dirt holds mysteries and life. Edges are magical.

While on a recent walk exploring the edge of a pond and it’s rocky bank, I began to think of edges in a different way. Not all edges are physical or can be seen with the eyes. Many tales of lore speak of the misty areas between Earth and the Otherworld. Isn’t life itself full of “edges”? I tend to see my own life in thirds, childhood, adulthood, and the final chapter. Childhood was all about learning how to be part of the world where I often felt very out of place. Adulthood was being a productive part of that world. The edge between childhood and adulthood was full of brambles, trials and tribulations but also very rich and full of adventure. Adulthood bore the fruit of my efforts as a grew into the human I am today. Learning, growing, contributing and eventually feeling a sense of belonging and purpose. Now I am crossing the unseen edge into my final chapter. The edge leading into the final chapter seems full of introspection and uncertainty. I would say this edge is boggy, full of rich thick muck. As I walked and pondered my current “life edge” I wondered what it was for. The answer appeared spontaneously like so many things do in the edges. The final chapter is learning how to let go.

This was the time of life to let go of the past and the future. Time to let go of children that have stepped into adulthood. Time to let go of becoming someone “new and improved”. Time to let go of ambition and planning for the future (spoiler: it’s already here). I step over the edge into the final chapter of life and find it is time to live in the moment. It is a time for gratitude, enjoying and just being. I am not implying to pull up the rocking chair and give up on living. Letting go of both the past and the future allows you to live fully in today. Adventures, new experiences and personal growth should never get left behind from one phase of life to another. The irony that lies in the final chapter phase is, that just when life gets rich and you have learned to appreciate every moment, you will be asked to let it go. The last letting go is learning to accept your own mortality and leave the world for others to tend to. Every edge has another side. As you leave this life and cross that edge, what do you think you will find? My experiences tells me one edge leads to another and I believe the magic never really ends.