Saying Good-bye Slowly...

It is a process you know, these good-byes. It shouldn't be hurried, but savored. And with every good-bye there is varying degrees of pain, for of course, with good-byes there is loss. I am beginning that process here in Buenos Aires and protecting the days, hours, minutes remaining. I think about the places I want to revisit before I leave. The new places on my list of desires I still want to see. The people with whom I want to spend my time. And when I walk the streets I replay the words, "falta poco tiempo", there is little time left. Today I see Marcelo, the man with the hands, and wonder, will this be the last time? And Facundo, my spinning instructor, is going on vacation. There are many more whose faces run through my mind and I am quite sure their impact on me has been far greater than mine on them. I am the one leaving this beloved Buenos Aires, they are here to stay. But this is a process and I have time yet to savor the moments.