On Saying Goodbye

I’m not one to make a big fuss when saying goodbye.

It’s not that I don’t care that someone’s leaving.  I don’t love them any less because they’re gone and I want to stay in touch; I just don’t let myself get too caught up in the drama of last hugs, dashing away tears lest my mascara run, and all the falderal that generally goes into goodbyes at the end of the school year.

That changed when I had to say goodbye to one of the best friends I have ever had (shameless plug: she blogs here).

I’ve been through a lot with this girl: plays, musicals, ridiculous communications courses, spring break trips, Shakespeare, voice lessons, heartaches, deadlines, final exams. You name it, we’ve been through it. And it’s funny, I didn’t think that saying goodbye was going to be all that terrible. I figured it’d be like any other goodbye, just a quick hug, a peck on the cheek, and we’d go our separate ways and work out times to hang out during holidays or call each other when we had a spare moment.

But then came closing night of our last  production of the season. Our theatre guild has a tradition that after we strike a set, we all gather in a circle, sing The Doxology, and then the seniors all form a smaller circle in the middle, while members of the other classes pray over them. I was already mourning the fact that I wouldn’t get to spend every waking moment with my amazing cast mates; I suppose the emotional high of finishing a show and going right into striking the set didn’t help either, but as I stood with my arms wrapped around my friends, my throat began to hurt, my nose to run, and my eyes started watering. As the last prayer ended, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. I dissolved into a puddle. It was bad. Nose running, big gulping sobs, bad. And my precious, dearest, most wonderful friend cried with me.

Newsflash:  we’re ugly criers. 

But I realized, that this is not the end. Sure, it’s the end of a chapter, but not the end of an amazing friendship. True friendship means transitioning together into new phases in life, which can lead to some pretty grand adventures. J

So here’s to saying goodbye, to adventuring, and to ugly crying.