Sayonara, and peace out.

I've always had problems saying goodbye.  It's always "see you later" or "talk to you soon".  Sometimes, I say it in a foreign language.  Au revoir!  Ciao!  Hasta luego!  If that doesn't work, "byebye" or "miss ya" may fill in.  But very rarely do I say the word "goodbye" as such.  It seems so formal, so definite.

Goodbye has always scared me.

It's not like I thought that speaking the words would make any separation permanent.  I knew words don't hold any magical powers to be released when spoken.  It just never feels right.

It wasn't just speaking them either.  Just the thought of goodbye intimidated me.  Saying goodbye to someone - admitting that you may not talk to them for a long time and possibly never speak to them again - was frightening.