Goodbye is such ... a drag

I've heard the phrase, "parting is such sweet sorrow." It was written by a poetic mastermind named Shakespeare. Maybe you've heard of him. It's meant to say that yes, parting is harsh, but it's also sweet because of the care that follows. Both sweet and painful. Really, it's more than that. Life usually isn't so poetic. We don't always know we'll return or if they'll return.

Goodbye is expected, unwelcome, and a complete bummer. Still, life doesn't let us pity ourselves too long, because we get to say goodbye a lot. We learn to deal with it. Hopefully we learn to expect the opposite, which is "Hello." If we can force ourselves away from the negative and focus on the positive, then we can understand why some cultures don't even have a word for goodbye.

There is a phrase that I've heard a times, and perhaps I'll start using it now: "Until next we meet." There's hope in that statement. Hope for the future. Of course, saying, "Goodbye" can be broken down to "Good parting" and even more to "Bless your travels, and I really look forward to the next time we meet and all the good things we will do."

So, here's to the next "Hello." Until then...

- M