BE WILLING TO GO FULL-CIRCLE

For years when I was a child, I would often hear people say (in total exasperation) that life took them "full-circle". They never said it in a good way, usually sounding annoyed and hinting that the 'circle' was useless and redundant. There’s nothing wrong with a circle and definitely nothing wrong with going full-circle.

Exactly what is a circle? Like everything else in life, the idea of it is a matter of perspective.

For example; to some people, a circle signifies boundaries and strength. Remember the little kid who’d start a fight by tracing a circle in the dirt and daring anyone to step into it. To him, that circle meant confidence and power. That is, until another kid saw the circle as an opportunity to prove his mettle as he answered the dare and stepped into the circle, too.

What is a circle?

It could be confirmation of the circle of life to the woman whose protective womb holds the promise of a new beginning.

A circle to some adults can mean love, security and infinity as in the symbolized shape of a wedding band. But to others, that same symbolized circle can mean limitations, unwanted boundaries and stagnation.

For me, circles signify both stillness and movement. To go full-circle gives me a sense of peace and completion; yet with a promise of continuous energy.

A journal entry I made a few years prior to my retirement describes feelings I had of coming full circle with a situation I pondered. I had just looked over the draft of a book I’d written (and ultimately designed a class I taught to teenagers) on Etiquette. Apparently, I’d also been thinking about what I would do after leaving my employer of almost 30 years. Here’s a portion of what I wrote:

“…which only serves to prove even more how forces much stronger than me are at work here. This draft wrote itself. The class taught itself.  I’m always writing, but now I feel I can’t help but write and that I will write even more when I’m retired. Humm…Writer and Author…the next chapter. I feel like I’ve come full circle because a Writer was my first self-identifier; the first thing I saw myself doing long, long ago. One of my oldest memories was of writing a poem on the way to school and feeling great.  I folded the paper with great ceremony (like little kids do with every paper they think is precious) and when I got to my seat, I placed it in the back of my desk for safekeeping until the end of the day when I’d take it home to show Mama…  I am whole. I've come full circle. I am home.”

For me, the circle signifies a path, and full-circle represents the force behind my life’s purpose to inspire others through my words.

The circle is whole.  It is universal; therefore, it’s natural. The circle is divine; therefore, it’s pure goodness. It’s never ending; so it is life. The circle is the Creator; therefore, it is all things and everything.  

There are many circles in life and the way you perceive each one is up to you.

So the next time you feel like you’re going in circles, stop, breathe, and in that universal moment, thank God for His circles.

When did you go Full-Circle and come out better than before?

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