My first painful goodbye was at the age of 21 when I waived my mom from the train and left for my studies to Pune. I still remember how my mom was weeping and how I saved my tears till the train left. Still now when I go back home and at the time of returning I feel the same pain but now there are no more tears in my eyes rather I smile back while saying goodbye to them.
Another painful goodbye I ever said was to my husband when I went to Budapest on a vacation and while I was returning back to India, because we didn't have any idea about when we were going to meet again. The worst part was that I hold back my tears till I left for my flight but while the flight took off I couldn't control my tears.
But somewhere in my mind I know that though its hard to say goodbyes to your near ones but after few months or may be after a year I am going to meet them again but what about those goodbyes to those people with whom, may be I wont ever meet. The craziest part of life is that people come in and come out of life, neither one is expected but there are some with whom a bond is created and its really really tough to say goodbye to them. Every time while saying the final bye we tend to say that we would meet someday somewhere in future but the truth is that this never happens. They remain in our memories forever.
When I left college I found saying goodbye to friends is so tough because it is hard to let go those dear ones with whom we spent most of the day, for years. Always thought of how to live without my best friends with whom I meet everyday and share every thing. Still now when I tend to get close to someone, I fear of saying goodbye to them one day. But life goes on and so we. And when you are not in your home town and constantly moving you have to accept this bitter truth.
But its really difficult to make my son realize the reality of life. Since he is now 4 years old, he knows the meaning of friendship. And being in a foreign country with people coming from different places he too has to face the problem of saying goodbye to his best friends. Very recently his best friend is leaving Finland. After hearing the news I was worried about how Jojo will react. Though I said that his friend is leaving Finland and will not come to school from the next month, he still believes that his friend must be going for a vacation and will be back soon. This is the second time that one of his best friends is leaving the country and I can feel the pain in his eyes. I know he will make new friends, he will enjoy school as usual but somewhere in his memories he will remember them.
The saddest part is that at the time when he started understanding about the meaning of relationships, what friendship is, he has to say these final goodbyes. He is too young to understand "Let things go" but I am sure as he will grow up life itself will teach him this reality.
