Say Goodbye - often and well

Just a week ago, we said goodbye to JenMei at the International Students Centre in the north-west corner of the extensive Stanford University campus. She was with her fellow international students, and we had a flight to catch. It was difficult and painful.

Goodbye and Hello are two sides of the same coin. With creation of the new comes destruction of the old. Sometimes it's the other way around.

In my previous post, El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inle are one and the same. Gaiman's Death is the most lovely person one can hope to meet in one's lifetime.  More alive than any living being I know.  

I'm sure it's a healthy thing to say goodbye often.
Goodbye to things. (we travel lighter, and better appreciate what's most important in life)
Goodbye to ideas. (we free up space for fresh insights)
Goodbye to people. (we appreciate them better)

A few years back, I read a book by Karen Kingston about clutter removal and space clearing. Her theory is that physical clutter impedes the flow of energies which result in a sickening of the environment. Clutter is an outward sign that deep inside, we feel a sense of lack, and this sense of lacking draws into our lives more lack. Letting go means we are confident of the future, that we will be provided with what we need and is most important. I have discarded or given away so many of my old things since then.

I did a big round of clearing this weekend - two rooms have completely different furniture arrangements now, and lots of new storage space is freed up, and things that were scattered about nicely put away.

There's much more stuff to let go of, but that's easy, compared to saying goodbye to JenMei on that Stanford lawn 7 evenings ago.