It's a time of transition in my world, from my daughter's entrance into her professional journey post-cosmetology school to my son's leap from the trials of middle school to the new adventures of high school, and even my mother's seasonal departure to cooler climates, away from Florida's summer furnace.
This episode is a candid tapestry of these personal milestones, an exploration of how we can navigate the seas of change with grace. There are no guests today; just me, peeling back the layers of these life chapters, reflecting on the importance of allowing ourselves to feel every high and low. It's a conversation about giving space to the feelings that accompany closing one door and stepping bravely through another, and I invite you to join me.
It's a time of transition in my world, from my daughter's entrance into her professional journey post-cosmetology school to my son's leap from the trials of middle school to the new adventures of high school, and even my mother's seasonal departure to cooler climates, away from Florida's summer furnace.
This episode is a candid tapestry of these personal milestones, an exploration of how we can navigate the seas of change with grace. There are no guests today; just me, peeling back the layers of these life chapters, reflecting on the importance of allowing ourselves to feel every high and low. It's a conversation about giving space to the feelings that accompany closing one door and stepping bravely through another, and I invite you to join me.
Hello and welcome to the Cameo Show. I'm your host, cameo, and thank you so much for being here. Today's episode is all about new beginnings, fresh starts, the infinite possibility of what's to come. And I'm talking about that because, coincidentally, I'm at a spot personally in my life my husband and I, our family where we have a lot of things ending, and so, in the essence of embracing change and the unknown, I'm taking these endings and looking forward to new beginnings. So what's ending? Sheesh, our daughter is 18 years old and she's graduating cosmetology school. She is starting a full-time assistant job with our hairstylist. I'm not representing very well today, if I'm uh, if anyone's watching the video, I've just got the low pony going because I was feeling lazy. Anyway, she's going to be working full-time as an assistant to our stylist, which is an amazing opportunity. Our stylist is an amazing mentor. She owns her own loft, she runs a business, she's a boss, and so we're super excited for Faith. But that chapter of life is coming to an end. For her High school last year, a year of cosmetology school, and now she's entering the workforce, the education door is closed, at least for the moment.
Speaker 1:
What else is ending? Our son is wrapping up eighth grade he is closing the chapter of middle school and moving on to high school. I got to be honest. I think Greg and I are both relieved that the middle school phases are over, because any of you parents out there of teenagers you know middle school is tough. I think it's probably been the toughest period of time for both of our kids and honestly, for us too, if we go all the way back because it's just so damn awkward. So I promise to any of you parents out there with middle schoolers, if you're experiencing struggle, it's just such an awkward phase for everyone. It's so weird and it does come to an end and it is sad when it does. You know these phases for our kids are ending. It's very significant, they're very significant moments for all of us and they are sad More endings.
Speaker 1:
My mom moved here eight years ago to be close to our family. She's single, she works for herself from home so she could live anywhere. So she chose to live close to us and she's lived in the same condo since she moved here, which is about 10 minutes away, and that phase is also coming to an end. She's moving for the summer At least. She's going to go, stay in the mountains and just kind of experience what it feels like to live in a different climate for the summer, because everybody knows it gets hell hot here in Florida, southwest Florida for the summer it's like an inferno. So she's going to go up to the mountains with some crisp, cooler air. You know so that that's also sad because my mom has been so close, but it's exciting. So I guess that's.
Speaker 1:
The whole point is that all of these endings are significant moments in our life and they are sad, and so it is important to take the time to recognize how you feel about them, to remember the good times, to remember the not so great times and the lessons that were learned and the challenges that presented opportunities, and to fully embrace that life is always moving, our time here is limited and that we have to really soak up every moment. To think that I have one more child to put through high school and one who is finished with school altogether is absolutely absurd to me. Y'all is finished with school altogether is absolutely absurd to me, y'all. I mean, I still feel like I was just in high school. So how is this all happening? It's happening so fast, it's all so temporary, and so, along with these changes, new opportunities. That's how I'm going to choose to look at it. I'm going to give myself the time that I need to kind of process through these closing doors, these closing chapters. I don't know if grief is the right word here, but I'm going to use it, because anytime anything comes to an end, we go through a period of grieving where we experience a range of emotions that come through us and kind of come upon us out of nowhere. So each of these closing chapters in our life currently are going to come with that period of grieving or processing, but along with that is the opportunity to embrace the change that's coming, the opportunity to say, oh my gosh, what lies ahead, and get excited about it.
Speaker 1:
I think it's common to fear what's next when you don't know, because you get so used to what you do know and it's comfortable, and for 18, almost 19. Our daughter has been our baby and we've put her through school and now she's going to be out into the world Not that she isn't already, but really out into the world, working, saving her own money, paying some of her own bills. This is a new chapter and it feels scary because along with that, while we're talking about her is also the reality that she may start to pull away a little bit from the nest right, and that makes me really sad because that's going to be an extremely new and difficult moment for us if and when our daughter not if when she starts pulling away or moves out. So I could sit here and dwell in the fear and I think that it's one of those moments that are part of the grieving process is trying to like rationalize what's next and hang on to things that are comfortable and control them, but the reality is that we can't, and that we can only adjust how we respond to what's happening in our world. It's okay to be excited about new beginnings and not fear them, and to be excited about embracing the opportunities that present themselves, saying okay, I'm here for this, being open to whatever presents itself in this new chapter, once something that you're used to and that you've become comfortable with is coming to an end.
Speaker 1:
This isn't always the things that we can anticipate, though. Right, I can anticipate that middle school is about to be over. I can anticipate that my daughter is going to graduate, get a job and potentially move out at some point hopefully not in the too near future. Someone moves. You move on from a job, but sometimes it's sprung upon us a loss the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship. Those aren't things that we anticipate, those aren't things that we're like preparing ourselves for, subconsciously knowing that they are endings that are coming, and so kind of back to that grieving. I guess that was a correct notion that when things come to an end there's a grieving period, because it's especially easy to see when it's something that's sprung upon us.
Speaker 1:
There's an anonymous quote that says each sunrise brings a new day with new hopes for a new beginning. And I like to think about it as every day when the sun comes up, it's kind of like, hey, you get another chance, you get another shot. It's kind of nature's way of saying let's do this, let's do this again. This new phase feels kind of like when you start a new series and you like kind of know what's about to happen, but you're just getting to know the characters, you're just getting to know the new setting and you know it's going to be good. It's like nervous excitement, know it's going to be good. It's like nervous excitement, anticipation, curiosity all rolled into like one little moment. And that's exactly how this new phase these new moments feel, and there is a little bit of fear that's involved in that. We're going to keep that fear quieted down, though we don't have to accept fear as the norm. Anyway, can you tell them on a fear kick today, like I'm not going to be afraid.
Speaker 1:
Here's the deal with new beginnings You're the main character. You get to hit the reset button After you're through the grieving period of whatever has been presented to you, whatever plot twist has been thrown your way. You then get to dictate and decide how you view what's ahead, what you do, the choices that you make, the lessons that you reflect upon. It is an absolute opportunity for you to take your life by the horns, as they say, and really give it direction.
Speaker 1:
There are a lot of us who feel really lost in this moment, in this phase of life, as your kids are needing you less, potentially leaving the nest, and we look around and we're like, okay, well, what am I going to do now? What do I want to do with the space that I have, or the lack of space that I have, this new phase of my life? And I think that if you can keep your mind right, then you are able to put together a plan that allows you to feel empowered and in charge of your life, not like you're being dragged around, yanked around, not dwelling in the sadness or the fear, but really looking at this new moment as a reinvention. I said earlier, it's so temporary and everything moves so fast and life is short and that is so true, and you can reset and reinvent yourself as many times as you want to.
Speaker 1:
And when there is change being thrust upon you or when you are in these segments of life seasons they are often referred to where things are changing, things are ending and things are beginning. There's this gap in between that's magical. So, wherever you are and whatever you're facing, remember that you get to choose, and I hope that you choose to step boldly into who you are and embrace the infinite possibility of what lies ahead. Be curious, be open, be optimistic, be ambitious and love the life that you're living. Thank you, as always, for joining me on the Cameo show. You can find more episodes from the archives If you go to my website, cameoelisebrauncom. Always say what's up on my social media and actually we have a new feature where you can text the show and let us know what you like, what you think what you don't like. In fact, I would love to hear from some of you about some of the new beginnings you might be facing and how you're approaching them. I appreciate that you're here and the support Until next time.