Good Bye

As a human being each and every day of my life is entirely different. Different in terms of mood, physical strength, or the surrounding. Some days I wake up with a joyful and grateful heart. Other days it is gloomy and wake up with a heavy heart. Whatever my emotional state is, there is this one thing that enlighten my soul. It was the case for me for the last two and half years. Today, I can just hear the child in me saying, “But I don’t want to say goodbye!” I simply just don’t want to say goodbye to the people I love, or the things I love. Yet it is the time to do it.

This view has been my partner for quite sometime. Whatever the mood I wake up to, my day brightens on seeing the scene everyday. Yes, everyday. It is visible from the window in front of the kitchen sink. It is visible from the dinner table. I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have it in my life.

It reminds me the importance of being grateful for the little things in life. The ability to see the pigeons flying around. To listen to the coo roo-c'too-coo of the pigeons. To view in amazement the free nature these birds enjoy. To see how much they enjoy the pigeon holes. And most importantly the jokes I share with my mentor regarding the pigeon hole. The chirping of other small birds that enjoy the nature.

The ability to see the green trees as they sway with the wind. The blue sky creating variety of designs throughout the day. Most importantly the awesome feeling of seeing the dark blue sea and the strong waves it create. It is always in my bucket list to live in a place where I can see the clear sky and the listen to the susurration of the distant waves. With the view, I feel like I am the happiest person on Earth despite all my challenges.

My awesome feelings and the life I associate with it just shattered. A life that was drowning inch by inch for the last couple of years just died. However much I want not stay "good bye", the time has arrived. On Earth everything is on a timeline, and the moment it reaches its maturity, it is the time to say goodbye.

What could we do to make the departure easy. Goodbyes are hard, but how can we make the endings sweeter. Here are some goodbye ideas I collected from different sources. These apply to different scenarios, and might give you an amazing experience.

1. Both of you know, that it is the time to say goodbye. So just be there together, he with his tears and you with yours, communicating your goodbye in ways beyond words. Be glad that you were there; it will be very hard, but it will turn out as a very touching moment that you won’t forget.
2. Plan Ahead. When you run through goodbyes, they can’t help but scratch and hurt. Make a plan of sorts, to whom and when to say goodbye, how to say it in my own way, how to be intentional about a good goodbye for all. Each goodbye is preparation for the day we have to make our own final goodbyes on this earth. And, if we practice now, it will help us say goodbye in ways that truly honors the people we love and the relationships we have with them. A good goodbye helps soften the memory of loss later.
3. Make it a habit to say "I love you" whenever you part in person or over the phone with your loved one. You won't have any regrets about what you didn’t your loved one, because he always said and heard, “I love you.” These three words are one of the greatest phrases to use in goodbyes. Practice saying them!
4. Take time to think about what you want to say and who you want to say it to. You’ll have different goodbyes for different circumstances. Sometimes the ending is a death, sometimes it’s another type of parting. “Thank you” is another excellent goodbye phrase, and when it’s used within a significant, shared story, it honors what made your relationship unique and meaningful.
5. Expect emotions. Who would have thought an arrogant person would cry on your departure? But everyone cries. Or sometimes we laugh because we can’t cry, at least not yet. Expect your own emotions too; they have a way of catching you off guard. Expect emotions, especially if you are saying goodbye with meaningful words like, “I’m sorry.” or “I forgive you.” These are powerful goodbye words and can transform you and the person who receives them for a lifetime.
6. Sometimes people say, “we don’t do goodbyes, we do ‘see you laters.” That counts, as long as you all really know what you are saying, and not just “sneaking out the back door.” Goodbye has the etiology of meaning, “God be with you,” so saying goodbye is bestowing a blessing. As Muslims we say "Assalaam Alaikum, Warahmathullah Wabarakaathuhu" meaning, may peace and blessing of Almighty Allah SWT be upon you. And for a person whose faith tradition anticipates seeing one another again after a parting or after a death, “see you later” rings true.
7. Sometimes saying nothing says a lot. Realize that sometimes the most touching words you can offer another are no words at all—just being there, a hug, holding a hand, rubbing a shoulder, crying.
8. Take cues from your loved one. You can ask, “Is there anything that would be most important to you to talk about today?” Take your cues from your own inner self . What do you most need to hear from others? That may be the best clue about what you most need to say.
9. Final farewell. Saying goodbye is an important signal to your loved ones, and recognizes an ending point in your journey together. It also signifies that we can say goodbye and still be alright. We are now at the fork in the road, and it is okay to travel separately, because we have each had the pleasure of traveling together for a time that mattered. It’s a way of saying, “thank you, I’ll be okay, and you will be okay.” Your words may be a critical gift of peace to someone who is worrying if you can handle their leaving.
10. If you say your heartfelt goodbye and see your loved one again, it’s a gift! I hope you have many of them!