Goodbyes Suck

Goodbyes suck. I am bad at goodbyes. I like to pretend they aren’t happening.

But as I am often reminded (in real life, on this blog, daily by my mother during most of our phone calls), I am an adult. And adults do things they don’t like to do. Like saying goodbye.

Elianna is leaving tomorrow for New York. And I have to be an adult and say goodbye.

I’m gonna quote two things now - the Torah and a Broadway show. (God is definitely looking down at me rolling her eyes.) Hopefully you will be able to relate to at least one of them :)

I’ve heard it said that people come into your life

For a reason

Bringing something you must learn

And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them

And we help them in return

Well I don’t know if I believe that’s true

But I know I’m who I am today because I knew you

I met Elianna four years ago. In four years, a lot has changed. I’ve grown up in ways that I could never have imagined. Because she is an incredibly astute person, I know she’s noticed these changes. But I also believe that she’s contributed to them too, in ways she probably doesn’t even know.

She’s taught me patience. She’s taught me kindness. She’s taught me maturity. And perhaps most importantly, she’s taught me resilience - that when you fall, you get up again, no matter what, no matter how hard it is.

“Make for yourself a teacher. Acquire for yourself a friend.”

Elianna is my rabbi, so she is a confidant, a spiritual leader, and a mentor. But she is also a friend. A friend who laughs with me, who calls me or texts me when I am down, who tells me secrets and stories and jokes. A friend who puts a smile on my face, who I genuinely look forward to seeing, each and every time we hang out. A friend who loves sushi and sarcasm just as much as I do. A friend who tells it like it is and means what she says. A friend who is a wonderful role model. And above all else - a friend who, as I’ve mentioned before, is basically besties with God :)

The good news is, she’s moving to New York. I go to New York frequently , so I’ll get to see her a lot. But I’ll still miss her.

I may be an adult, but even adults don’t like saying goodbye.