On Saying Goodbye

“To hold you must first open your hand, let go.” Lao Tzu

Sometimes at our direction, and sometimes in circumstances beyond our control we must say goodbye. Sometimes this realization comes with joy; sometimes it comes with tears. We can be blindsided by it or choose it to start the engine of change. Disruption is sure to follow. Perspective comes later, long after the pain of parting. When we are in the midst of it all it is hard to see how goodbyes create a space on the welcome mat that eventually invites something new.

Goodbyes often mean loss. In some cases, we must say goodbye to those we hold closest to our heart. We can lean on each other in such terrible times. Together we endure what seems unbearable until the march of time tramps the ache of loss into a new path of discovery.  The emptiness we feel in such times carries with it the space to grow, learn and love once again.

The year that just left us was filled with many occasions of parting. We said goodbye to loved ones, to members of our team, to clients, and to friends. The coming year waits with us for just a while before it blooms with possibilities that fill the emptiness created by the goodbyes we are living through now. We can stare in confusion at the emptiness, lean on each other and catch our breath. A fresh hello will join us soon.

Goodbye 2020. Welcome 2021.