We should find a word to define the feelings that wash over us when a project we've been involved in for a long time comes to an end. I'd say it's somewhere between emptiness, longing, and regret, with a touch of mourning and a sense of loss.
We can experience this feeling when a professional project ends—a course, a tour, a building, a clinical trial, landscaping, a novel, a fashion design—or a project chosen for our leisure time—a marathon, a concert, a trip, a party, a book club. In any case, the more time invested in the project, the deeper the void it leaves when it's over. If it's a solo project, you'll miss the effort and the progress; if it's a group project, you'll also miss the people you've bonded with along the way.
This dejection, which comes whether the project has been a resounding success or not, is probably the driving force behind our search for another idea that can fill our time with content and our minds with ideas. Having projects, as we know, is a way of being alive. There are certain types of people who always have projects, and these are almost always the ones who can't resist signing up for yet another new project that comes their way.
Having projects is having dreams. And it's clear that life offers us some spontaneously, but if not, especially as we get older, it's a good thing to go looking for them—the preparation for a trip sometimes brings us almost as much happiness as the trip itself—or, even better, to create them.
The philosopher José Antonio Marina says that having dreams is like being able to escape to the future and, from there, seduce ourselves with the promise that something exciting will happen. All of this can be summed up in the simple act of picking up your planner or calendar, going a few months ahead, and writing down a word that motivates you to approach things with enthusiasm. The philosopher asserts that a complete absence of projects would be the closest thing to a deep depression.
Participating in a collective project enriches the experience. A project, Marina says, is like an antenna projected into space that begins to pick up interesting things. Thus, during the process of carrying out a collective project, you often discover new people and can admire each other's talents and creativity.
Being part of a collective project also means feeling like you belong to a group, sharing an ambition, and committing to a certain level. How many times have we heard people in show business explain that, during the process of creating a show, filming a movie, or rehearsing a concert, their project partners momentarily became like family?
When it all ends, it's time to save the good and bad moments, the lessons learned, the emotions, the funny anecdotes, the videos, the photos, the endless streams of messages on your phone... And to get through the initial period of mourning. Then all that's left is for a new project to arrive, and even if you've said a few times, "I'll never get caught up in it again," you have to welcome that new milestone on the calendar with open arms.
