I've never been a fan of goodbyes of any kind. While I generally welcome hello's with open arms, I would often rather quietly slip out the back door than say goodbye. Why the difference?
Hello's bring with them a great deal of surprise and probable opportunity. There's excitement with hello's. While goodbyes mark the end of a good time, positive relationship, enjoyable activity and belonging. With goodbyes, there is often the wondering of whether you're leaving the event, job, relationship, endeavor too early or whether it is the right time to go.
Since I don't like goodbyes, they tend to creep up on me. I don't see the warning signs that the end is near, but instead, I'm often caught by surprise. When I look back after the goodbye, it's typically clear to me that there were signs that the end was near, yet with a hello-mindset, goodbyes are often lost in the activity, excitement, and events.
Goodbyes can be very sad and sometimes depressing. You may want to hold on to what was rather than take the next steps forward to a new or renewed relationship, endeavor, activity or event. Yet, that's the only way to move ahead--we have to acknowledge the end and somehow package it up via writing, photos or momentos so that you can look back, remember, then move on.
One way to move on is to imagine the future by drawing, writing, and/or dreaming. You may weave the positive aspects of the past into this imagination work which gives you a road map that moves you ahead of the time or people you have to say goodbye to. This new road map will lead you to the hellos you may cherish like I do, provide you with a new start and make the goodbye's more manageable. Onward.