How Do You Say It?

Adios.

Sayonara.

Aloha.

I've been thinking about this lately. There's a lot of ways to say goodbye. Some ways are hard. Some are fun. Some are awkward. It takes a lot of finesse to be able to say goodbye properly.

Some people do it quick. They don't like to linger. They don't want to show emotion. They give a quick hug or better yet a nod and then they're on to other things. Men and toddlers tend to be the best at this type of farewell.

Some people just can't seem to rip the bandaid off. They've announced that they have to go. They've got their coat on. Their keys are in their hand, jingling, as they linger over bits of trivia and mind-numbing small talk. All the things of importance have been said, but they can't quite get to that last farewell. Those last few minutes are punctuated with long awkward silences because nothing more needs to be said. Then one or the other finally says, "Well ...". And then another round of awkward pauses and more awkward small talk.

Then there's the surprise goodbyes. The goodbye itself isn't a surprise, but the person saying it will suddenly throw out a comment containing the most important information of the entire weekend. "Well, you take care now. By the way, Uncle Ryan wrote you out of the will. Have a good trip!" They've been sitting on that little tidbit all weekend, and they finally work up the courage to say something as you're heading out to the car.

You also have the clingers. They go in for a hug and don't let go, sometimes squeezing your neck until you're gasping for air.

It's adorable when you're two.

Not so much when you're thirty.

I think the goodbyes that I hate the most, though, are the crying goodbyes. If someone cries when they tell me goodbye, then I end up crying.

I prefer to do my crying in private so usually I swallow back the tears, put on a brave smile and say a quick goodbye. Then after the leave I can go back in the house and sob. This doesn't work so well if you're saying goodbye to someone who always hurries back because they forgot something, though.

I'm thinking about goodbyes because I have to say some this weekend. I am not looking forward to them. I'll probably stand around making awkward small talk. Hopefully I won't have any last minute surprises, but I probably will hug and squeeze for as long as they'll let me.

I'll do my best to hold back the tears. After all, I've got a nine hour drive after they get on the plane. That's almost enough time to get all the tears out.

So how do you say goodbye?