The First Goodbyes

Everyone knows it's hard to say goodbye, even if it's only for ten weeks. I think it's the distance that's the most daunting. I had to say my first goodbyes last night. I didn't find it so hard. I mean, these days, technology keeps you connected no matter where you are. So, I figure, it's not like they'll really be so far gone 'cause they're just a Skype, Snapchat or Facebook message away. And then my friend says to me (one who will be at school and I won't see her until summer; one I had to say goodbye to last night), "It's not so much that we won't be able to talk, it's just... you're so far away!" I could only I think, "It's not like I'm dead. It's just a few months." But, I will be halfway across the world and whether or not I can say hello over text, it won't be the same as face to face, being able to hug or touch, or laugh in the same room. Maybe it's all an exageration; maybe it's all overdramatized and childish.
A few weeks ago, I was talking with two of my other friends and they had mentioned me going away. I, of course, replied with, "Oh guys, it's not that long!" To which they responded, "But we're afraid you're really going to like it there." And that made me think. Yes, I think I will really like it there. And hey, what if I find myself a special someone? What does that mean? They continued with, "We're afraid you're going to like it so much and end up living there and we won't see you all the time. Maybe once a year. Maybe not even that." I guess my friends are pretty dramatic, but it is a possibility. I am young and have a lot of life to live and moving so far from home at 19, permanently, that is, doesn't seem to be near on the horizon.
The point is that we all must grow up and part ways some day. Maybe it's down the street, a city over, a state over or even a country over or across the globe. We all break ties spacially, but that doesn't mean that we must part forever mentally. I suppose it all depends on how much you value the person. It goes back to when you split up after high school. You realize who your true friends are, right? It's who you make an effort to keep in touch with. And the effort is completely mutual. Those are the ones who last. They are the friends who you can count on for forever. No matter how near or far, they will always be there for you and wanting your company.
We'll see where life takes me and who will stay and who will go. But this trail ahead is set, as of now, for two: me and my savior. Maybe someday it will grow wide enough for three, and then four and who knows? Maybe five or six? Friends are special, but they do not hold your soul; they are not like a spouse who you become one flesh with or a child who you are put in charge of and they are nowhere near like that of your rock, your firm foundation, your savior who is, for me, Jesus Christ. They will come, they will go, and they will leave you with memories and marks, but goodbye's are inevitable. So hold fast to every lick of time that you have been blessed with special friends because whether for moments, days, years or lifetimes the first goodbyes have to come sometime.

 

 

 

"Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?"

―Robert Frost, Reluctance