And yet, goodbyes are necessary.
Goodbyes allow you to reflect on the time you’ve had with people. They are a part of everyone’s narrative and learning how to deal with them is an important life lesson. They teach you to confront the finality of our existence and to be aware of the people you have in your life – wherever and whenever that is. They’re a chance to tell friends and family how much they mean to you and you to them. And, if nothing else, they’re a chance for you to purge some of your belongings before hitting the road again. Still, that doesn’t necessarily make them any easier.
I’ve often told people here that the reason I want to move back home is to be closer to family – and I do – but what of my family I’ve made over the past several years living an ocean or two away from home? How do I say goodbye to them? To people who have taught me so much and with whom I’ve been able to share so many wonderful experiences? How do you look someone in the eyes who’s become such an integral part of your life and say, Tschüss, schön war’s!
Indeed, if there’s a schmerzfreie method of saying goodbye, I’m all ears. Yet I suppose in the end all you really can do is be gracious for the time you’ve been able to share with people. Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened, right? I also like to think of these encounters more as a see you later rather than a goodbye. Indeed, as a good friend of mine recently told me, the world is smaller and our hearts are bigger than we think. In this life or the next, we’ll all see each other again someday.
To those who have been a part of my life in Ulsan, Fulda, and Regensburg over these past five years, thank you. You’ve enriched my life in countless ways. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out!
