Mom taught me the value of hi and bye
“I love you.”
This was something that was said often within my family growing up.
We never really talked about it or the reason why it was just ingrained in us and now I’d believe that we all do so for different reasons.
For me, goodbyes matter, I might never see that person again.
For me, hellos matter, I want to show that I value the person I’m conversing with and seeing.
Here is the way that it went:
If you walk out the door, you state your love.
If you walk in the door, you state your love.
If you say goodbye on the phone, you state your love. You always say goodbye though. I remember maybe one or two times when that didn’t happen but we always came back and shared love again with our words.
We never left the house or hung up the phone without saying, “I love you.”
That’s not always my most meaningful way to receive love but it displays value and that matters to me.
No matter who the person is, I always strive to say goodbye as if that might be the very last goodbye I’ll ever have with them.
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the small act of caring. All of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Joe Duncan
I think it’s incredibly important to make every interaction matter.
Saying hello and listening to someone tell you how they’re doing is not difficult — yet few do it.
Saying goodbye before leaving is not difficult — yet few do it.
Both take just a moment, we need to give up our agendas and call up the person we’re conversing with to a higher worth and show them that they are valuable to us.
Because the truth is… goodbye is not always a “see you later” you might never see that person again on earth. Sometimes that’s hard to swallow but relieving when you live with an eternal mindset.