Secondly, my boss whom I was hoping to talk to about several matters spoke to me for barely 5 minutes and then left. When I got there, most of my past colleagues and friends were leaving (to be fair, we werea Friday afternoon…), so I did not get to talk to them as much as I would have liked. Unfortunately, my trip to Sherbrooke was not as successful as I had hoped for several reasons.

After looking around and being nostalgic about my past workplace and environment, I met my boss, colleagues and friends.

I believed this to be the last time I would visit Sherbrooke and the wonderful people I met there. I was looking forward to meeting up with my supervisor, my colleagues and dear friends I had made during my Master’s degree. I am writing this not long after I went to visit my old lab in Sherbrooke to drop off some documents, notebooks and lab books. Having said something regrettable can be forgiven and/or forgotten, but missing the opportunity to say something at the right moment is difficult to get back. It is regret for the things that we did not do that is inconsolable.” I can relate with this saying perfectly. Harris said: “ Regret for things we did can be tempered by time. I am certain that I am not the only person that wishes an instance would have occurred differently. Yes, I feel a bit pathetic admitting this, but it is the truth. This is why I recall time and time again the memory of saying goodbye to a given person and I tend to play the scene over and over in my mind by adding the things that I wish I would have said. I am not someone that has my heart on my sleeve and as such I do not easily express my feelings. If I did not say proper goodbyes like is usually the case for me, soon after when I am left to my thoughts I think of all the things I should have said and didn’t.

In the long run, however, this is the worst scenario possible. I think this way is easier for me short term because I do not have to face the fact that I won’t be seeing someone I care deeply about anymore. It is almost a “Ciao, see you tomorrow!” type of goodbye. When I am the one to leave and say goodbye, I unconsciously tend to act like I will see the person the next day.

Depending on the relationship and the level of attachment of each party, such a departure can be very overwhelming and even at times unimaginable. Whether it is classmates, colleagues, family or, most difficult of all, friends, it is never easy. Perhaps it is because I am someone that gets attached to family and good friends or because I do not take people for granted, but I have always found it hard to say goodbye. I truly believe that one of the hardest things in life is saying goodbye.

50 ways to say goodbye