The Long Goodbye

"Tom, get your plane right on time. I know you've been eager to fly now. Hey let your honesty shine, shine, shine Like it shines on me." ~Simon and Garfunkel

That moment. Where there is so much to be said, but nothing comes out. A moment in which many different emotions and feelings are stirring in you. It's this single moment, a guaranteed moment where you can say exactly how you feel. It's a moment we delay, a moment we don't want to happen. All because we don't know when the next opportunity will exist, an opportunity that may never present itself again.

Yet when the time comes up people have different responses. Even the nonverbal ones leave a great impact. Where a hug and depending on the person a welling of water in the eyes says more than is needed. Then there are those who refuse to say those two words combined to one, "Goodbye."

I didn’t say that word to a co-worker this past Thursday. He was off to get married. He was leaving America and heading back to India. There have been people in my life whether through school or the work place I formed relationships, but not meaningful ones. Then there are those who might not have been in your life all that long, but will still leave a lasting impact. Vineet was that kind of guy. In the past two months he brought me up to speed on a project. I had a thousand questions in those very short 8 weeks. He had a thousand answers. He was genuinely a good person with a great outlook. There's corporate politics. He didn't play the game. He was a person that I wish more people would be like.

Saying goodbye isn't for me. I realize I will never see him again, and if I do, it'd be a crazy coincidence. Sure there may be a few emails in-between. But growing has taught me we lose contact with people. People we promised to stay in touch while apart. We move. We get married. We don't start so much new lives. It’s our paths that diverge. We need to enjoy the times in which for a moment they run parallel. No goodbyes here. Just a “Have a good life.” I want to leave that person not with a sense of sadness/longing. I want them to know I care. I want them to never stop pursuing their passions. We only get one life. It’s up to us to make it good.