On how we respond differently to Goodbyes By Mitchell Odhiambo
Goodbyes are, without a doubt, often a sad time. Whether you are bidding farewell to a close relative, a business partner, a friend travelling overseas, peers from school or, are resigning from a job.
While it may not be the best feeling in the world, it is nonetheless, inevitable. So it is often not an issue of ‘If’ but rather, ‘When’, we all have to say goodbye to someone at some point in our lives.
Over the past months, I have been saying goodbye to many people; some finishing school, others enrolling in different parts of the country and some travelling overseas but it is the difference in how men and women handle goodbyes that prompted me and my colleague, Angela, to write this piece together. We are so different, I found myself sometimes laughing.
Men are futuristic; we accept that we will miss you but we are also conscious of the fact that we have to part ways for the greater good. We all have to make progress and that’s what keeps us going. Call it evolution, if you like.
Women on the other hand, love to cherish the moment, embrace each other and sob uncontrollably, even after having parted ways, they still send messages about how homesick they are, how they miss friends etc.That’s sweet and nice but perhaps men are cut from a different piece of cloth.
Men are daring and are thrilled by what life presents; always ready to face it head on. With this attitude, if men were left alone, we would phase out like the wind and so I am grateful to the Creator for our women; for they bring colour and joy to a life that would otherwise have been played in black and white.
Goodbyes are very emotional, you can reminisce all the good moments, spend a lot of time together, go out for retreats, take a million photos but thereality is, you will part ways anyway and perhaps cross paths again, hopefully in the near or not too distant future. So, brace yourself, pull yourself together, cry if you must (lol) but let go.
Welcome to a man’s world. Until we speak again, I am your host. Mitchell Odhiambo. To get a female perspective on this, click here to read my colleague Angela’s views – http://goo.gl/6GDNse
