Goodbyes

"Another goodbye. Life is nothing but one long, endless stream of goodbyes," I said tearfully, watching the shapes of my waving friends slowly grow smaller in the rearview mirror. Goodbye again, for God knows how long.

"Yes," he replied, placing a comforting hand on my thigh, "but it could also be said that life is a series of hellos, too."

And so it is. But the goodbyes are the ones that stay with you, like a blister on your foot that just won't heal.