Goodbyes are like deadlines. Some are soft. Others are hard.
Soft goodbyes feel more like, “See you later.” You’re saying bye but only for a time. You’ll meet again, probably soon, and you don’t have to think much of it.
Hard goodbyes feel more like, “I’ll never see you again.” You’re saying bye without much hope for saying hi again. You’re going separate ways, and you’re forced to think about the severance of the relationship you’ve build.
Thing is, like deadlines, both goodbyes are good goodbyes, depending on the context. The trick is knowing which is which and not pretending the hard ones are soft.
