One thing everyone is all too familiar with is saying goodbye to people we care about. Whether you are saying goodbye to someone who is moving away, mourning the loss of a loved one, or in this case, saying goodbye to someone who is graduating.
It doesn't matter how long you've known the person, or what your relationship is with them, what matters is how much the person meant to you. Indeed, in many cases, you will see the person again, but it's the initial change that is hard. Not seeing the person on a regular basis as you once did is what you're going to notice. Seeing the person throughout your day due to spontaneous encounters isn't going to happen anymore which are the biggest changes that will seem so small when you saw the person all the time.
As a part of life, people come and go. We, the people who are saying goodbye to someone leaving, will eventually be the ones going, but It doesn't make watching a loved one leave any easier. We've gotten so used to a daily routine, it became a comfort zone that that person was once part of, and when that person leaves, we're not longer in a comfort zone. There is something that is missing that often times cannot be replaced.
The amount of people that graduate each year is pretty remarkable. I've said goodbye to senior friends for the past two years. However, this is the first time I am saying goodbye to someone who is much more than a friend. Being someone who still has two years of college left and has to watch someone who has been such a staple in my life this past year walk across that stage is something I haven't been able to imagine.
Yes, as mentioned before this is a situation in which I will see this person again, which is something I actively remind myself. But not seeing the person every day is what I'm going to notice. Not running into the person randomly around campus is what I'm going to miss. Without seeing this person as much as I once did is going to throw me out if my comfort zone.
In time, I know and with the people around me that I love, I will stay distracted. With my studies and my jobs, the days will pass by quicker. Each day that passes is one closer to when I get to see the person again. And that is what I, and everyone that can relate, holds onto. Until the person is there in person to hold onto instead.
