Saying goodbye is hard— be it your past, friends, childhood, youth, habits, possessions, etc.

At some point in our lives, all of us would have experienced bidding an emotional goodbye to a loved one and its bitter-sweet impact.

However, today I was wondering if we under-rate or do not cherish goodbyes as much as we should?

So today (the day I’m writing this), I met a dear brother-like friend after two years. He and I completed our diploma in yoga education (200 HR YTTC) in March of 2021. While we couldn’t interact as much as we’d have liked owing to the intense nature of our program, we could get enough sense of each other’s character to know we have potentially formed a long-standing bond. Since he lives in a different time zone, it isn’t always easy to remain in touch, but we tried our best. Though nothing, no form of virtual connectivity (which we should be immensely grateful for) can replace the feeling of meeting someone in person. I so felt that when I embraced him at the airport as he arrived— that feeling of unadulterated joy on seeing a friend after two years of saying goodbye 🙂

We got to spend a good chunk of quality time catching up, sharing about our lives, and revealing our hearts. It just felt like we picked off from where we had last said goodbye, albeit with more warmth, understanding, and a sense of safety. 🙂

As I write this down, I wonder aloud through my words how magical goodbyes can be! Embedded within every goodbye is a seed of another meeting, another chance to express our love, warmth, and care to a loved one.

Goodbyes unearth the most profound emotions of our hearts, help us feel alive and human, and often, as I have experienced, help us realize how attached we are to a person or place 🙂

In the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, centered around the love Sri Radharani and residents of Vrindavan had for Shri Bhagavan Krishna, their separation is glorified and celebrated as one of the highest forms of ecstasy that one can experience. A little context for the uninitiated into Bhagavan Krishna’s life: He left Vrindavan at the age of thirteen and didn’t meet the residents of Vraj for almost a hundred years!

While I look forward to every new meeting with a dear friend or family member, I’d dread the goodbyes a little less now. Heck, maybe I’d even look forward to the feelings and sweet pangs of separation 🙂 Hey, if I feel moved when I say goodbye to someone or something, I have created memories to cherish. If I may not have been grateful for the good times as they were happening, I can definitely rewire my brain to feel thankful as I bid adieu.

Thank you so much for reading this piece.

Until I see you again, God be with you (goodbye).

Kushagra