This past semester in English 11, Mrs. Dani DeJong shared a collection of essays from National Public Radio’s program, “This I Believe.” She then challenged her students to write their own personal credo about a core principle that defines their life. The array of topics, concerns, and passions were as diverse as the students themselves.

The ACS Inside Out blog is excited to present their essays in our 2017 summer blog series, “This I Believe: Eight Personal Credos by Eight ACS Students.”

PART SIX: Saying Goodbye
By Jewel Haak

Have you ever missed the chance to say goodbye?

Goodbye has so many contexts, for an hour, a day, a long time, until eternity or forever. When you’re just saying goodbye for a little while it may seem ridiculous, or maybe you’re in a rush and just want to mutter out a quick goodbye and get to whatever it is you have to do, or maybe you are mad at the person and don’t want to take the time for them.

How will you feel though when the world is spinning and caving in because you never got the chance to say goodbye: “I was gonna see them in an hour, it didn’t seem necessary.” “I was busy, I didn’t even get a hug…” “The last thing I said was I hate you…”

There are more benefits to saying goodbye than not regretting it though. When you’re busy and people are buzzing and moving all around you, it’s calming and grounding to take a minute to give a proper goodbye to someone. Not to mention when you yell goodbye across the room, you run the risk of the other person feeling less important than whatever it is you are doing.

If you still can’t relate, then think about past friendships, the ones ended with spiteful words and the reason you avoid hallways or places because if you run into them, you just know you’ll die. The friendships that have no hope of reconciliation because the last words were said out of hate and not love. The friendships that you are lying awake at night wondering what went wrong and where you stand, and the friendships that just seem to be on pause because it’s been two years.

What about any of these, but with the word relationship instead?

I have hurt people by rushing a goodbye, I’ve been hurt by a rushed goodbye; sure it doesn’t last long but if it’s preventable then, why do it? I have had friendships that just kinda dropped and I have people I never got a chance to say goodbye to and it hurts.

I have come to realize that life is unknown and the future isn’t promised, I don’t let this scare me too much. I try to make sure to say a proper goodbye and make sure people know I love them every time.

The future isn’t promised and the past can’t be changed.

You can’t take back words, and you can’t go back in time to say them. You never know what’s going to happen, or where you’re going to be.

This is why I believe you need to always take the time to say goodbye.