Will Saying Goodbye Ever Get Easier

Let's be real here, the answer is no. Saying goodbye will never be easy. Ever. It just won't. That's the truth. Never have I experienced a goodbye that's easy and with almost eighteen years of life experience, I'd say there is never going to be one.

There are times when goodbye is the right thing to do and we do it because we know it will be good for us and that whatever happens in the end will ultimately turn out better than whatever we said goodbye to.

Then there are times where goodbyes look at us and laugh. When our deepest fear is losing someone we love and we must say goodbye despite our natural instinct to hold on.

But neither goodbye is easy. Whether it's wanted or not, necessary or sudden, or something expected, a goodbye is never easy.

Goodbyes are like taking a piece of your heart and detaching it. You are literally taking a piece of you out. You are letting go, you are giving it away and that's the hardest part.

I recently had to say goodbye to my grandfather. He passed away last week and it was hard and emotional. It was painful but through grief, I ultimately learned how to be strong and take comfort in saying goodbye. He was a great man, he will be missed by many, and our entire family faced a difficult goodbye.

Despite the fact that goodbyes are not easy, there is comfort in knowing that we are not alone. We all go through a goodbye at least once in our life whether it's a death of a family member or a loved one, the last goodbye to a high school friend before you both separate for college, a breakup, or even saying goodbye to someone you deeply care about even though you know you will see them again. We can have comfort in the fact that we all go through it. We may not know what to expect, and every goodbye is a little bit different, but having someone else go through a similar experience is comforting nonetheless.

There is also bravery in saying goodbye, and we all can take heart in knowing that we are courageous and strong. Saying goodbye to an addiction, or a toxic friend can be a good thing and ultimately impact our lives positively, but yet again, the goodbye is not easy. Ever. Know that despite the heartache and pain goodbyes sometimes come with, you are strong and brave for saying goodbye entirely. There are some people that have yet to take that step to say goodbye to something they should. But be proud of yourself, because if you have said goodbye, you have taken that step. It isn't easy, but you did it!

Saying goodbye is not easy. It is a hard, sometimes painful process that we all endure. Goodbyes will never go away, they will always exist. So we must learn to handle them in the best way possible.

I encourage everyone going through, or having just gone through a goodbye to be strong and brave. Talk to a friend, get good advice, and take a risk on a goodbye. Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone and at least one person in this world has gone through a goodbye just like yours. Grab some ice cream, watch some Netflix, and cry it out. Because goodbyes are not easy.

The hardest goodbye could potentially lead to the easiest hello. It could change your life.