However, saying goodbye \u2014 and learning how to do that well \u2014 is an important aspect of any meaningful friendship. How do we do that? How do we say goodbye to the people who have shaped our lives in a powerful way?<\/p>\n
Here are five ways to say goodbye intentionally.<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Acknowledge Change.<\/em><\/strong> Saying goodbye doesn\u2019t mean that anything went wrong in the friendship or that the friendship has failed. It simply is a reality of the world that we live in. Openly acknowledging and discussing that a change is coming in your relationship will make the transition clearer, if not necessarily easier.<\/p>\nSaying goodbye and learning how to do that well is an important aspect of any meaningful friendship. via @Darling #friendship <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n 2. Under Promise.<\/strong><\/em> Instead, in seasons of change, it\u2019s a good idea to under promise what you can offer in this next season. Be honest with yourself and with your friends. If you are taking a new job, it might be much more demanding than your current one. You will need current friends in your new community, and much of your time may need to be poured into getting to know new people, especially in the first months of change. But decide what you can promise \u2014 and stick to it. A call every other week? Put it on the calendar. A trip every year? Buy the tickets now.<\/p>\nWe know how much our friends mean to us; often, they don\u2019t. Tell them. #friendship <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n 3. Say Thank You<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em> Read two more ways to say goodbye well over at Darling Magazine<\/a>, where this article originally\u00a0appeared<\/em>!<\/p>\n![\"5](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annswindell.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/5-Meaningful-ways-to-say-goodbye-1.png?ssl=1\")
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\nSome of the deepest pains from friendship come when someone feels forgotten or left behind. If you are moving across the world \u2014 or even across the state \u2014 be honest about the fact that your friendships will change. Talk with the people who will feel your absence most strongly and have a heart-to-heart about the fact that you can\u2019t really know how the friendship will shift.<\/p>\n
\nAs a deep feeler, I feel the urge to promise my close friends that we will talk every week, send letters in the mail, and text regularly. But, the reality is that I don\u2019t know if I will be able to do those things and promising them such will only cause pain to my friends if I don\u2019t follow through. It might even make them feel forgotten when they most definitely are not forgotten to me.<\/p>\n
We<\/em>\u00a0know how much our friends mean to us; often, they don\u2019t. As you prepare to leave (or watch them leave), put down in words what their relationship has meant to you. Thank them, specifically and purposefully, for how they have helped you grow, change, and love for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n