Strange horizon

Every day of your life has the potential to be momentous in its own little way. Every day of your life marks the point at which the rest of your life begins.

Every day of your life is all potential. But every so often, a day arrives that is truly momentous. A day that marks a dividing line in your life. A dividing line as sharp and as clear as the horizon at dawn. Life narrows down to and simultaneously expands to become a strange horizon.*

How do you feel when you face a strange horizon?

Gratitude for what has been, optimism for what will be

For me, today feels like I am stepping into and beyond a strange horizon. As I write this, yesterday (28 October 2022) marked my final day at the place of employ that I had been with for more than 21 years. You can read the words of fond farewell to those years that I shared on my final day there via LinkedIn. That post concluded with the following words:

“I am so thankful to have had the chance to meet and work with so many amazing people these past 21 years. It has been an honour to be able to do and to learn so many different things as part of the constantly changing and evolving editorial roles I have done over this time.

“As for me, I am going to take a little time to reflect on all that the past 21 years has meant to me, and to think about where life might take me next. I am looking forward to wherever the path might lead.”

It is only right to feel both excitement and some degree of trepidation when momentous days arrive. I am certainly going through just such a mix of feelings right now. But above all, I feel gratitude for what has been and optimism for what will be. I genuinely have no idea where the path might lead me next. Back in 2015, I wrote the following words in Bold moves are the best moves:

“What do you most want to be doing? What’s stopping you? There are times when the best thing to do is what you’re least comfortable doing. There is nothing holding you back.

“The bold move may well not even be something you enjoy (or at least, at first). But that doesn’t mean it’s not the right move to make. What’s stopping you?”

I do not know where life will take me next. None of us truly knows where life will take us next.

I am thankful for all that these last 21 years have taught me. I am thankful for all that all the years preceding them have taught me. I cannot wait to find out where this path will take me next.

Everything lies beyond the strange horizon.

May you be nothing but kind today, to others and to yourself.

May today be nothing but kind to you and yours.

FOOTNOTES

* I have borrowed the title of this post from the band Reverend Bizarre. Strange Horizon can be found on their 2005 70+ minute-long EP Harbinger of Metal.

IMAGES

• Seaside sunrise horizon via Wikimedia Commons.
• A suited MJCarty in October 2022. The full story behind the tie depicted in this picture can be found in my 28 October 2022 LinkedIn post.
• Hashira-e, print, mitate-e (BM 1902,0212,0.175 2) via Wikimedia Commons.
• Yellow dawn (Unsplash) via Wikimedia Commons.