Goodbyes are never easy. It's a simple fact that we all learn at a young age. We learn from saying bye to our parents when they go on date nights, or lost toys, animals and even movies. They say things get easier as we get older, but goodbyes are unfortunately not one of those things. If anything, they only seem to get harder.
As you leave for college, the goodbyes are one of the most played up and dragged out things, especially when you're leaving for your first year. The tears and drama used in movies is nothing short of what you experience as you pull out of the driveway. But as you leave for your second year, everything is a little different, other than your mom crying--that's always going to happen. Saying bye to your friends you've had since elementary school and went through all your awkward stages with is a little easier. It's easier because you know you've made it one year without them being glued to your hip, and you still have the same friendship. The relationship between the two of you solidified, and is now everlasting. It's the new friendships and connections that are created over that one summer that are the hardest to let go of.
Just because these new friendships are harder to let go of, doesn't mean that they mean more to you than your old ones at all. These relationships are fresh, new and exciting. But the bigger thing is that these new friendships haven't actually been established yet like the old ones have. These are unpredictable, and leave you unsure of the connection. You know your old friends will always be there even after you leave, but you never know if these new ones will be too.
It's hard saying bye to people you have just made a new connection to and new memories with. Chances are, these people were your summer co-workers. You spent countless hours with these people getting into shenanigans, complaining about work, talking about how you're poor, and everything else in between. You have seen each other when it seems like you had four scoops of pre-work because you are bouncing off the walls, and when you are as hangry as hangry can get. When you first met them, you probably didn't think much of it, and just tried to get in and out of work as fast as you could. But as the days got longer and you came out of your shell, you slowly found yourself not minding if you had to stay late. Sometimes you hung around just to hang out with them. Then one night you all decided to hang outside of work, and the rest is history. Now you have endless inside jokes with and about each other, and if you worked with kids, you developed hand signs and a new slang in order to communicate without the kids knowing what you were actually talking about.
It's hard leaving a bond like this when it's time to leave, especially when the future is so unknown. Will I ever see these people again? Are we even going to talk when I leave? Like I said before, they are not as strong or as solidified as your friendships with your oldest friends, which makes leaving them uncertain and hard. These people are the people that made your summer totally worth it. Maybe, even, made you think about what life would be like if you were to stay.
Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you aren't sure if there will ever be another hello. But trust in the new relationship you built and hold on to the crazy and fun memories you were able to create with them. After all, they did help make your summer one to never forget.
