That silly little band with that "Closing Time" song may have just gotten it right.
Buffy -- even on DVD.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (on DVD).
The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- even on DVD.
Serialized, sequential television will hold no longer hold interest for me, save for 24.
My reading habits will take a nose-dive [thereby making me read a buncha nerd texts, things that deal with issues in higher education -- and I'll be reading these for pleasure, God help me].
My grandfather, one of the single most influential people in my life, has gone on to finally rest, leaving me with a lot of memories...and helping to sever any strong ties I hold to this region.
...okay, so all of this has made me a tad melancholy. I look behind me, and I see nothing but a series of closed doors. And yes, heathens, I am well aware of that whole "door close/window open" dichotomy that so many well-intended people espouse. It might upset me more if I did not know that these doors close (for the most part) of their own free will. Some things -- like Jay -- have run a natural course, and there comes a time when such things DO end.
I do not find myself diminished due to these closings. They are helping, in some ways, to propel me forward. I draw strength from their memories and their lasting lessons [even in the case of BUFFY, which has made me quite quick with quips], and there is a quiet smile hidden behind the lines surrounding my eyes of late.
There are people in my life who are important to me and who give me strength to carry on and keep going [hi, Katie], and these people...they help me to see the endings for what they are: opportunities for growth.
The endings are, thankfully, ending.
The beginnings will start soon enough.