When January rolls around each year, we set aside the previous year and make plans for changes or new directions, or habits or possibilities for the new year. We say goodbye to the old and hello to the new.
This year found me saying goodbye on several levels of my life: Goodbye to 2019, Goodbye to my sons who flew back to their homes in far away states on January 1, and Goodbye to a beloved uncle who was also my husband’s Godfather.
I also embrace the new year as a new opportunity, so the beginning of a new year was with a welcome hello. I was less enthusiastic sending my sons off on the beginning of the year. The final farewell to my uncle was both sad and joyful as he will be greatly missed but he is no longer in pain and lived a fulfilling life.
That is the thing about “goodbyes” – they often come with good and challenging feelings. Bottom line is in how we look at them. We can choose to see the regrets, or be sad. We can also focus on the new opportunities, the goodness of the past, the unknown before us. When we get stuck in the past, we often find the future hard to grasp.
My challenge to you is to acknowledge the endings of goodbyes and embrace the future hellos. You have a choice in how you address what is before you and I hope you always learn from the past and embrace the future.
May your path finding you saying goodbye and looking forward to saying hello!