This End Is Up

I just went to the end of the world.

Ushuaia, Argentina.

The southernmost city, or capital, of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

It’s known as the end of the world. And it’s in the land of fire.

This small city is at the end of the Pan-American highway, which spans 19,000 miles. The highway is known as the longest road in the world—connecting the Americas. It starts in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina.

We got there by plane and ship, not by driving. Most people who drive the entire Pan-American go about 30,000 miles—because they travel so much off of it, with detours and side trips along the way. 

Isn’t that what life is like? We never do go directly from here to there.

We did hike to the end of the road with a local guide, to Lapataia Bay, the southernmost point. Standing at the end of something—even a long highway—is a strange place to be.

You might look beyond the end, and think, What’s there on the other side?

And Will I like what comes next?

Whenever we as humans hit an end, there’s a lot of looking back. Remembering. Reflecting. Grieving. 

Should I have done more? What could I have done differently? 

And then there’s the looking forward: What’s ahead? And Am I going to like what’s there any better?”

I’ve had many endings—many edge crossings—in my own life. The end of many relationships. Selling my home. Moving a number of times. Leaving jobs and teams that I loved. Saying goodbye to pets. Both of my parents’ passings.

What endings have you already seen in your life? 

And do you need to see the end of something right about now?

My toughest crossings have been the end of my marriage. When my only child graduated from high school and left home. Cleaning out my parents’ house and watching that auction truck leave the driveway with all of our memories.

In those moments, it can feel impossible to sit with the sadness. We don’t know what life will be like after the ending. We can’t necessarily see what’s on the other side. 

I’m learning the tough lesson of staying open to what might be around that corner.

Ushuaia actually has the most southernmost post office in existence. People go there from around the world to get postcards stamped to send home. 

The post office does not sit on terra firma—it sits on a pier at the edges of the Beagle Channel. This is because it’s located in the middle of Tierra Del Fuego National Park and no building construction is allowed in the protected area. They therefore built the post office on the water—beyond the boundaries of the park.

Perhaps, as we mourn our own endings, we, too, need to be creative to move forward. 

Endings are a perfect time to think about something that we may not have considered before. 

What is around the bend that I just can’t see yet? What is calling me forward from here? And even, Where in my own life might I need to step off land and walk into the water? 

We learned on this trip that there is a lot of land south of Ushuaia. Another town, Puerto Williams, is the true southern-most official town, not city. And then there’s Cape Horn. But Ushuaia is not letting go of its status as the end of the world.

So, maybe this ending isn't really the ending after all. 

I suppose in every goodbye, a Hello to something else is always lurking.