Ugly Final Boss
Often, those who have experienced a series of misfortunes that they've managed to overcome will eventually face the motherlode version, the one where they are quite literally clinging on for dear life.
There will be those who view this as the universe laughing at them, as if to say they were foolish all along for trying to survive. It can feel extremely disheartening, like a cruel joke. However, that perspective misses the point.
Life is a series of quests where you gain talents and learn lessons in an organic and digestible way. You become incrementally stronger and wiser. The final hurrah is the culmination of all the prior lessons, condensed into one massive, ugly final boss.
It happens because you've nailed the lessons so far. This is the bit before the next level, this is the end-of-year finals. If you pause and examine it, you'll find it always contains core lessons you've encountered before and requires the spiritual reserves you've been honing over time. Face it fearlessly, you're on the home stretch.
Life only gives you what you can handle. You've got this.
It's okay to feel spiritually tired, like your soul just wants to sleep - but save it for when you win. That way, you can sleep in peace under the sun.
I love this framing! I’ve had an experience like this a few times. I remember one where I felt like it literally took all of my life experience up until then for me to “pass the test”. Like, I could not have handled this even 20 minutes earlier. It felt amazing!