Grad season has me thinking about all the changes in my life, especially with going to college away from where I grew up and who I grew up with.
Inspiration
This blog post was inspired by one of my friends from youth group, Carson. Our grade has grown really close over the years, but most of us are going to different colleges. Carson had said something that, while it was intended for our group specifically, applies to all of life. Here's what he said:
"There are no goodbyes here, just a lot of see you laters."
Wow. I think this is the most positive way to look at a goodbye that I've ever heard, and I feel like there's a deeper application here that I want to dive into.
Why Goodbye?
We, as a society, are trained to leave any and every situation by saying goodbye. Honestly, I didn't realize this until I thought about it, but it's true: whether I leave to go to the grocery store or leave to go to college, I say goodbye.
Why does it have to be goodbye?
There's something about goodbye that feels very permanent. "Goodbye" implies that something is lost, or that you're losing something in the situation. "See you later" is more like something will be found again, that the parting isn't a permanent loss. It's almost like society trains us to prepare for loss instead of believe in paths crossing once again.
See you later is optimistic.
See you later is hopeful for the future.
See you later defies typical societal pessimism.
What If There's No Need for Goodbye?
I don't know about you, but the idea that goodbye isn't permanent is really comforting. I like that I can assume that, when I say goodbye, I'll see you soon. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a week, it could be 10 years from now. By choosing to believe that our paths will cross again, the separation from someone is less painful, less permanent.
Maybe this life isn't a series of goodbyes, maybe it truly is just a lot of see you laters.
This is a short blog post, but I still wanted to share this thought process with you guys. There have been so many potential goodbyes lately, considering it's graduation season, so I found it relevant to the time at hand. I hope your life isn't filled with goodbyes, but blessed with see you laters.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Commentaires