Striving

I’ve been studying loss and mourning lately and I discovered something interesting. Of course, we encounter loss in circumstances other than the death of a loved one. Even marriage carries the loss of singleness with it. But it surprised me to see success on the list of things associated with loss. Success means you’ve reached your goals. You, by definition, have what you’ve been working towards. So what is there to mourn?
The loss of striving. Striving is a motivating force behind many of the things we work to achieve. We all seek challenge to some degree. It’s healthy. In fact, I might have to say that there is a very, very small- I mean tiny- part of me that is a little sad that we’ve only had one major snowfall this year. Snow is something I love to hate. Yes, it is challenging to haul out my crutches and other “mountain climbing” gear just to make it across the street. But that small, tiny part of me likes the tenacity it takes for that kind of striving.
But if you tell anyone I said that, I will deny, deny, deny.