Saying goodbye is hard

I've never been one for goodbyes....In fact I'll try and avoid them at all costs. At this time of the year it becomes very hard to avoid this when you are about to lose a bunch of mates that you have grown close to over the past 2 years......It should get easier but never does...
So what do you do, what do you say to people you have come to know and care about......??
The truth is there is no easy way to do it.....There's always the promise that you'll catch up in the future and you'll text or phone but as time goes on that becomes less and less frequent as we all get caught up in our own lives......
A dear friend of mine left Baton Rouge last year and I was devastated....It was her turn to move on and my turn to stay......In truth I was happy for her. She was going to her dream job in her dream part of the world. We have stayed in touch through thick and thin in the last year. We've both listened to each others trials and tribulations but I still miss being able to go for a beer with her or simply just spend time with.....
So what do you say when it's time to say goodbye.....Be eloquent, be tactful and keep it simple.....
In truth, I hate the word goodbye. I simply say:

'I'll see you when I see you'



JD Salinger once wrote:
 "I was trying to feel some kind of good-bye. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-bye or a bad good-bye, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t you feel even worse"

or better still Terry Pratchett
"No more words. We know them all, all the words that should not be said. But you have made my world more perfect"

I looked at all of my past blogs this morning and realised that I have not written for such a long time.
Truth about it is I got caught up with life and it's dramas......
The second year of my residency is now completed..... The second half of the year is one that I would much rather forget, and I must say, it's one that I thought would never of happened to me.
In that time I lost 2 dogs at home and have a new nephew and am about to welcome a new niece.
I got to experience a lot of Louisiana, namely jazz fest, the annual migratory bird trip, and of course Mardis gras. Unfortunately, during this time I also had some trying experiences......I look back at these now and smile a little that it's all over but at the time shudder a little because at the time it was like being on a runaway train. Unfortunately I was inflicted by a person who wouldn't and couldn't accept the word 'No'......

When you look up stalking the following definition appears:

 'You are being stalked when a person repeatedly watches, follows or harasses you, making you feel afraid or unsafe. A stalker can be someone you know, a past boyfriend or girlfriend or a stranger. '

You feel helpless at the time because you can't control the situation and also because you don't know what's going to happen next........

Fortunately, I came out the other side.....A little frazzled but nonetheless alive to fight another day.......

Top five strategies to survive a stalker:
1. Ignore them
2. Ignore them
3. Ignore them
4. Ignore them
5. Ignore them

Salmon Rushdie once wrote "I owe my health, my mental survival, to my friends and loved ones"
Thanks to all those who have been there and supported me through this tough time.....