Contrary to one’s hope, thought, or assumption, I do have a life outside of the Catholic Herald.
Along with wondering if the Bucks hired the right head coach and wondering if the Brewers will be looking for a new manager, my thoughts, at the time of writing this, are partially turned toward the release of “Now and Then,” the so-called “last” song by The Beatles.
Last song? Couldn’t one have said that after 1970, or even the mid-90s after the “reunion” songs? I guess not. There’s one more to go and many fans of all ages are ready for it.
I felt a similar feeling in 2019 with the release of the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I’m sure I had thoughts of “Oh boy! The final Star Wars movie! This is big!”
Couldn’t we have said the same thing in 1983 when Return of the Jedi came out, or even in 2005 when Revenge of the Sith was in theaters?
We keep changing the meanings of the words “final,” “last,” “end,” and so on.
Musical groups have similar issues. The Who had a farewell tour that ended in 1982. Their 2023 tour ended in August and I can imagine more dates are soon to follow.
KISS had a farewell tour in 2000. Their “End of the Road” tour is set to end in December of this year, 23 years later.
Mötley Crüe not only played their final show in 2015, they even signed a contract saying they would no longer tour. Four years later, they released a video of the contract being destroyed and were out on the road again in 2021.
When people claim something to be the “last” and it’s not, are they lying or just confused?
Sometimes, “final” things come about because of circumstance and a lack of planning and they’re less than stellar.
After an iconic and groundbreaking film career, Charlie Chaplin’s last film is 1967’s A Countess from Hong Kong — a truly forgettable swan song.
The great Gene Kelly’s last film acting role was in Xanadu. To paraphrase the late actor Christopher Lee, the less said about that movie, the better.
Sometimes the best closing moments ever are handed to us on a silver platter and are pushed aside, for reasons known only to the person in the spotlight.
Michael Jordan had arguably the greatest final sports moment ever, a game-winning shot to give his Chicago Bulls their sixth NBA title in 1998.
He came out of retirement three years later and no one really remembers his last NBA game as a member of the Washington Wizards in 2003.
As much as we love promoting and celebrating things as the end, we’re not very good at it.
A question of control
We love to control our own fate and mortality.
WE will be the ones to decide what is last and when an end has come. WE will decide to change our minds and do it again or do it better.
Sometimes we’re not that blessed.
Someday, I will be done doing work here at the Herald.
I’d love to think I could go out on my own terms, wrap up everything neat and tidy, and write one last profound, thought-provoking, and confusing piece.
I’m just as likely to be crushed under a falling piano as to humbly move on from here someday.
With my luck, when the piano thing happens, I’ll have written about lollipops or chicken wings and those will be my last professional words, whether I like it or not.
We insist on labeling things as “final” because we need that control. We can’t possibly fathom surrendering any part of our lives and letting someone or something else make those decisions for us.
We don’t even mind being wrong about it because we’re in control.
Not to get too morbid, but we don’t really get to “choose” the time of our death (Yes, I know there are tragic exceptions).
We’re told in Scripture we do not and will not know the hour.
The ultimate gift we’ve been given — life — is totally out of our control.
Respectfully, I do know that many people have a general idea that the end is coming and they, if so blessed, are allowed some time to get their ducks in a row and say goodbye to whom they wish.
I’ve been through some of this myself. There were still many parts of that process that were unknown and uncertain. I didn’t know I’d get a Saturday at 7 a.m. call that my grandma had died on that particular day.
We can get as many Earthly affairs in order as we like and are so afforded, whether it’s for retirement, graduation, career changes, or death, but so much of it is still out of our hands.
How many people accept a new job only to have it eliminated a week before or the week after the start date? Crazily enough, it happens.
The Earth is all about endings, real and otherwise. Let us be more about trust and let God close the book for us.
Letting go
What if you accepted that you won’t be the one in charge of finishing your life story? No one ever finishes an autobiography with “I died on . . .” (OK, I’m sure someone did out of humor or “control” but don’t tell me who).
How many people retire from a long career (especially in sports), but they aren’t feeling truly done with their work?
Maybe a decision like that is made by people and forces greater than themselves. Could you surrender that control knowing that your life, your career, and your accomplishments are not totally your own?
We need to accept that whatever we’re doing in our lives, we may leave some work unfinished, but that’s OK. Maybe decisions to move on will be made for us.
All this being said, I’ll still listen to “Now and Then” and embrace it for what it might be, the last chance to appreciate four of the most artistic and culturally impactful people ever, who did the best they could to go out on their own terms, albeit a bittersweet and not totally ideal finale.
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.