so this is it

Goodbyes are not always hard. When there isn't much to leave and it didn't really matter, goodbyes are fleeting. But if a place made a difference and you experienced so much, grown roots, invested, loved - leaving is quite overwhelming. Change is always difficult.

Packing is the rite of passage. You look at the space you spend half your day at and wonder how you ever accumulated so much stuff. Separate and sort. You have company as friends watch you put paper to recycling, while others drop by with a hug since it's probably the last time they'd see you. Although most things go to trash there are the stuffed toys that are so cheesy they can't be regifted, the millions of plastic straw hearts you're sure were made during lessons, and the cards full of spelling and grammatical errors. You wonder what to do with them because you're a practical person but discarding it all would be heartless. Fine. Into the box for home. Do I really need so many red pens.

It's getting late so your audience thins out, but it's ok since you know you'll be seeing those particular ones for Christmas.

There are cinematic moments as you pass spaces for what you know will be the last time. After dusting off the whiteboard you look around at the empty desks and chairs and can almost feel the emotion creeping in. The frustration and anger felt at an intensity you never knew is so clear. Then you remember the laughter, growing adaptation to your snarky humor, surprising insights, successes... and thats when the wave of finality really kicks in. It's all good though. A deep breath and lock the door.

Nothing quite as final as moving everything into the car and coming back to an empty table. So this is it then, I'm done.

It's only been 2 years. Or rather, it's been 2 years. And ya, goodbyes are hard.