In order to illustrate this, I want to talk about a specific encounter with my friend Barbara, who this blog post is dedicated to. I'm not sure if she will get a chance to see this, since she is leaving the United States in the morning to go back to China after spending the past couple of years at my alma mater for her master's degree. The long-distance and China's restrictions on internet-related things might also hinder her from seeing this, but I need to let out the emotional flooding that occurred after Barbara called me recently to wish me a farewell.
Firstly, the fact that she went out of her way to contact me to make sure she got in touch with me before leaving says a lot about our relationship.
Fortunately, I met Barbara sometime after I had graduated college in May 2013 and was helping to welcome in international students (i.e. greeting them when they arrived from the airport and getting them moved in and settled in their residence hall rooms) for the Summer. Barbara and I connected pretty quickly. I even had the privilege of taking her to her first live concert in the United States where The Staves were playing at Off Broadway, a St. Louis concert venue. I remember it being a rainy, but adventurous outing that she happened to enjoy. I saw Barbara several other times that Summer, but unfortunately I had to part ways when I had to leave for Philadelphia in September 2013.
After seeing her a couple of times since being in graduate school, fast forward to this moment in time and why I am even bringing all of this up. My relationship with her makes me realize how much of an affect the impressions people put on each other have. While the total amount of time I have had with her so far has been limited, the quality of that time has been full and fruitful.
What I am taking out of writing about this is that the love and effort put into interactions with others matters.
Yes, goodbyes can hurt and be painful, but how thankful I am to have had such fulfillment in my life even if for a limited amount of time.
Conveniently enough, to come full circle, I am going to post The Staves' song "Gone Tomorrow" here:
"Just give me some
Time to borrow.
You’re here today,
Gone tomorrow."
How quickly times can seem to pass by. I wish I could borrow more time to spend with Barbara, but such is life. Also, there is still chance of seeing her again. If I am able, I would love to visit her in China. She also told me that she will try to come visit the United States at least once each year.
In the meantime, I will continue to fill my life with love, because it never fails me.