I find that I'm not so scared of goodbyes these days like I used to be.

After 21 years on this earth, life has not failed to disappoint in that it always brings the people I need into my life.

Not necessarily those I want, though.

But if I am a better person today than I was a year, two years, five years ago (and I think I am), then those people must have been good for me. The ones I've had to say goodbye to - maybe they weren't what I needed at that point in life. And those goodbyes had to be said to make room for new people to walk in - people who were there to teach me things, to help me grow, to make me stronger, and, sometimes, sometimes... to slow me down, remind me that I'm human, and open my eyes to how beautiful life can be.

Life has also taught me that some goodbyes are not really goodbyes (more like 'See you later's). With some people, you can go without talking for weeks or seeing each other for months - but when you finally do, it's like all that time and distance never happened. If people are meant to stay in your life, they will. Even if you have to say a few goodbyes along the way. But they'll always be followed by the next 'Hello'. :)

So here's to goodbyes. The ones we need. The goodbyes that make room for better things. But also, the ones that don't last. The temporary goodbyes that show us how much the ones we care about mean to us.

And here's to the hellos that will follow. To new faces... and if you're lucky, to warm, familiar ones all over again.