Saying Goodbye....

I have never been good at goodbyes. So much so that I cried after a three week vacation in Goa while saying goodbye to my besties - Eliza, Ashlin and Aniket. I guess that's just the kind of person I am. I find it too hard to let go. People, places, things - they always end up meaning a lot more than they should sometimes, don't they?

Hmmm...Goodbye - What does it really mean? What is so good about goodbye? Why would we associate the word "good" with "bye" which represents parting, something that's so painful, something that means that you might never meet that person, something that means letting go!

We have been told that goodbye might not be forever or things like that person or thing etc has served their purpose in your life so its time to let go or it was meant to be just for this while etc. I mean really? That's supposed to make things better?! I would like to quote John Green - "I do not say goodbye. I believe that's one of the bullshitiest words ever invented." Well, he didn't really say it in the context that I mean it in but nevertheless, I hope my point is made.

This week, I had to say goodbye to a close friend and colleague, who meant a lot to me. I knew that he was going to leave for the past couple of months and was pretty okay with it or so I thought! Honestly, nothing really prepares you for that moment when it dawns upon you that you will never meet that person ever again.

I know most people would say in todays world its really easy to keep in touch - email, facebook, whatsapp etc. But can you honestly say that makes up for not having the person at a reachable physical distance? Some might argue and say you can fly to his country or he comes to yours. Well, yes that's true. But in this - this very stupid situation (second time I'm experiencing it) I would say not possible. You might ask why? Well, I'm Indian and He's Pakistani! Doesn't that spell impossible to you?! Okay maybe I'm dramatic. Maybe we could meet in some neutral country! Canada!?

Oh that brings me to another topic! A lot of people I know will frown upon the fact that one of my closest friends is Pakistani. Wait! Hold your breathe! Two of my closest friends are Pakistanis!(*Bring on the judgment*)

Mind you - I have had my opinions about Pakistan and Pakistanis in the past - stemming from my interactions with the Pakistani men down at Ruwi High Street (RHS, as Kashif says). But there is more to that country and to the people than we see. In my honest opinion some of the best things (or people) to come out of Pakistan are - The hot Cricketers (*drool*), Coke Studio, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Zafar(*faint*), Meesha Shaafi, Jal, Rohail Hyatt, Zeb & Haniya, Kamran Zaffar, Gumby, Kashif Rajani (*Dost*) and Umar Ashfaq (*Papa*)...and so many more! Well there I go drifting off topic....

What I'm trying to say is that in many ways people come into your life from different countries, different backgrounds etc. and you learn from them, they become a part of your journey, they impact your life in ways that could possibly change you forever. And I guess that's what makes it hard to let go. That's what makes it hard to say Goodbye!

Well, now considering that I'm almost 25, maybe its time to change...

To understand that people(or things) come and go - Its just a part of life.

To have the courage to say goodbye when the time comes.

To be strong enough to let go and trust that everything happens for a reason.

To trust that God has everything planned out for us and he would never put us through situations we couldn't handle.

And To believe that saying goodbye doesn't have to mean forever....

To conclude I would like to dedicate these lines by Stephen Schwartz from the musical Wicked to all the people who have come into my life and made it better - To those who have left & to those who are still there! Thank you all for making me who I am!

“I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them.
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true.
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit,
As it passes a sun.
Like a stream that meets a boulder,
Halfway through the wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you,
I have been changed for good

It well may be,
That we will never meet again,
In this lifetime.
So let me say before we part,
So much of me,
Is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me,
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end,
I know you have re-written mine,
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring,
By a wind off the sea.
Like a seed dropped by a skybird,
In a distant wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you,
Because I knew you,
I have been changed for good.”