SAYING GOODBYE
"How lucky I am to have something
that makes saying goodbye so hard."
-Little Orphan Annie
Saying ‘goodbye’ is something we all have done at various times in our lives. There is a saying that stuck in my mind this weekend preparing my goodbyes for my wonderful students. Here it is:
“Why does it take just a few seconds to say ‘hello’
and FOREVER to say ‘goodbye’."
Some of us do it wholeheartedly and with our well felt feelings, while others, avoid it like the plague. This week, I'm saying goodbye to a wonderful and amazing group of people, YOU ALL my super dooper students! Our winter session is over. While all things must come to an end and we all deserve a good break after ‘jobs’ well done … I feel sad to see you go. So for another time in my life as a teacher, it's another opportunity to practice saying goodbye with open eyes and an open heart. Here's what I've learned throughout the years:
Saying goodbye is a process not a destination. Whether you're saying goodbye to a relationship that's ending, a pet who has passed on, or a job you once loved, it takes time to fully acknowledge and appreciate all that has been experienced. When we say goodbye, we never say goodbye to one person, one event, or one thing. We say goodbye to many experiences - the lessons learned, the challenges won and lost, the unfulfilled promises, or the unexpected joys. This takes time, patience, and a willingness to sift through and experience all of our feelings.
I read this once from Cheryl Richardson:
You must fully embrace the ending to allow a new beginning. She goes on to say, “The best way to create the space for a great, new beginning is to fully participate in the ending. I've learned to say goodbye with meaning and purpose by using the power of ritual. I couldn't imagine moving out of my old home, for example, without taking the time to walk through every room …, to reminisce about what happened there over time. The ritual of revisiting memories and feelings, both good and bad, allows us to honour and appreciate what we've been fortunate enough to xperience.”
Sadness lasts only for a while because it is the sign of good things that l will miss but can create once more.
After all, the sadness I'm feeling simply means that I'm experiencing the loss of something that has held significance in my life, doesn’t it? There's so much more to be said about saying goodbye, don’t you agree? It could be a great topic of conversation when we see each other once again and that might be YOU, and YOU, and YOU too! And I for sure!
Don’t be sad because it’s over,
SMILE because it happened!
“ Goodbyes are not forever.
They simply mean “I’ll miss you”
until we meet again!”
Your teacher and friend,
SUZANNE
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