of wanderers and goodbyes

i finished reading "house of the spirits" today. the book, written by a peruvian born chilean isabel allende, recounts the story of a latin american family and their tale of love through war, changing times and goodbyes.

when i first opened the book, i already felt sad. it wasn't the content that made me feel a sinking feeling in my heart. it was the thought of goodbye at the end of its pages.

as a wanderer, i meet many people. some come and go, others stay for while, and still some even through distance manages to stay in my life. when i meet a person, there is both elation and sadness for i know, even in the sweetest of shared laughters, i must move again and leave. no matter how many times i say goodbye, i never get used to it.

goodbyes have become such a part of my life, that even a book evokes such sadness from the first opening of its pages.

i meet strangers and i feel happy when they smile. for that fleeting moment, we shared something. when i talk to a friend and seem to have boxes of stories to share, the meeting must end.

but as dying is part of living, it is all just part of this so-called life. one of my bestfriend cheng said, "life is life...i take it as it comes." it is in the cycle of life that hellos end with goodbyes only to be greeted with another hello.