Starting over is so hard.

We all want to have the mindset of jumping out of bed in the morning and welcoming a new day.

We want to be okay with change because change is good. New beginnings can be exciting, as they bring new chances. Changing and starting over grows us into who we are, and who we want to be.

But change can be really unfair, and hard.

Change means saying goodbye to something, something that once was, something that used to be.

Starting over means waking up alone, not knowing anyone, being in unfamiliar settings, and having to change your mindset.

Starting over isn't always subtle either.

It feels like an eviction notice on your door, your boss telling you you're fired and not knowing why or hearing tragic news. And most importantly starting over can make us feel lonely, because no matter who we experience it with, we all process it differently.

And it's terrifying.

Because it isn't what we once knew.

And if we're honest, what makes it so terrifying is we don't always know where to begin.

And we wish we could just scream...

I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS.

Please.

But starting over is rarely a choice.

For me sometimes starting over means that I'm wrong, that I haven't been doing things as I should, and change has to occur. And it is humbling, and it is frustrating, but it is right.

Beginning again is almost another way of saying a new chapter is beginning, and the old one is closing. And for some of us, that old chapter was old news, and we were ready for something fresh. But other times we were in love, happy and content with our chapter, our story. Regardless of whether or not the story was filled with drama, or romance, heartbreak or tragedy, it was our story, our familiar place.

In one chapter we see a little girl with her favorite bunny Jessica.

Setting up an appointment with all her animals, wearing her multicolored sandals, and falling asleep to her favorite story.

Scurrying to her parent's room when she's scared and getting the crust taken off of her peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches.

Then you turn the page and she's all grown up, she doesn't need help anymore when she's scared and isn't running into her parent's arms anymore, she has her own family now, with a brand new chapter.

One day you're dropping your kids off at pre-school, and the next day you're watching them look back at you, smiling, with their cap and gown walking down the aisle to receive their diploma.

Some stories you think have a common theme, maybe it's love.

And your story has lasted for many chapters, each chapter filled with memories and life-changing moments. Like a scrapbook, you look back and see the smiling kids meeting for the first time, the many tears that were shed, and frowns that turned into smiles.

But then maybe your book changed, part one ended, and you're finding out that part two doesn't involve your partner, and that you'll be making this journey alone.

The thing that always remains is the story.

Even if the chapters of our lives are over, a new one is always beginning.