Meeting and Parting

Most things in life start with hello . . .
 
“Be the first to say hello to others. You will have a happier day.” -Author Unknown

“A simple hello could lead to a million things.” -Author Unknown
 
Lucy: So, how are you today?
Anne: Just ducky!

“Why can’t we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn’t work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.” -Charles M. Schulz (Charles Monroe ‘Sparky’ Schulz (1922 - 2000))
 
‘Cheerio!’ is a way of saying at once ‘goodbye’ and ‘be of good cheer.’

Goodbyes

Goodbyes are not forever,
     Goodbyes are not the end -
They simply mean I’ll miss you,
     Until we meet again.
 
by Author Unknown
 
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Howie.
Howie, who?
I’m fine. Howie you?
 
“Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” -Richard Bach (Richard David Bach (born 1936)): “Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah” (1977), chapter 18

Matthew: How are you?
Luke: Too blessed to be stressed!
 
Meeting and Parting Without Physical Contact and Spoken Words Optional
- Bowing.
- Curtsying.
- Hand gesturing such as the Hippie ‘peace sign.’
- Hand waving.
- Hat tipping.
- Head nodding.
- Saluting.
Can you add to this list?
 
When asked how to make goodbyes less sad and scary, our first thought was, ice cream! But maybe better answers exist. Can you think of some?
 
“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho
 
Cassidy: What did the buffalo say when his son went off to college?
Cassandra: “Bison!”
 
The proper response to the Irish greeting, “Top of the morning to you,” is “And the rest of the day to yourself.”
 
Elma: Hi, how are you?
Bert: Better and better!
 
It was the briefest of encounters, so I quickly said, “Hello - and goodbye!”
 
Elvis: How ya’ doin’?
Sonny: Feelin’ groovy!
 
Overheard: If you see me getting smaller, it means I’m leaving.
 
An Irish Blessing
 
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
 
by Author Unknown
 
The word ‘goodbye’ is a contraction of the Old English phrase, ‘God be by ye,’ which roughly translates to Modern English as, ‘May God be with you.’
 
Al: How are you, my friend?
Vin: I’m doing swimmingly!
 
‘So-long’ is derived from the Arabic ‘salaam’ and the Hebrew ‘shalom,’ which roughly translate to English as, ‘peace unto you.’
 
How are you?
- About average.
- Couldn’t be better.
- Fair to partly cloudy.
- Fit as a fiddle.
- Good.
- Just peachy
- Marvelous.
- Not bad.
- Outstanding.
- Perfect.
- Pretty good.
- Spectacular.
- Super!
So, how are you today?
 
Merry may we meet,
     Merry may we be together,
Merry may we part.
     And merry meet again.
-Author Unknown
 
Thomas Edison coined the word ‘hello’ and introduced it as a way to answer the telephone. This begs the question, what did people commonly say in greeting each other before ‘hello’ was invented?
 
Carpenter Bob: How are you?
Tailor Jill: Just sew-sew!

“I was walking in the park and this guy waved at me. Then he said, ‘I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.’ I said, ‘I am.’” -Demetri Martin (Demetri Evan Martin (born 1973))
 
Animal Theme Meeting Lines
- How do you do, kangaroo?
- What’s the word, mocking bird?
Can you think of others?
 
Jody: What do wolves say when they are introduced?
Cody: “Howl do you do?”
 
“The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last.” -Moira Rogers (pseudonym of writing team Bree Bridges and Donna Herren)
 
“When I feel threatened, vulnerable, or insecure, whether it is from simply walking into a room of unknown people, meeting someone for the first time, an unexpected or expected confrontation, or doing something new, I affirm in my mind (over and over): There is no danger, there is no threat. From there, the discomfort lessens and I become open for discovery and adventure.” -Charles F. Glassman (born 1959): “Brain Drain: The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life” (2009)
 
“Fare thee well.” -William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616): “Antony and Cleopatra” (1606 - 1607), Act 4, scene 4
 
Fare thee well! and if forever,
Still forever, fare thee well.
-Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron (1788 - 1824)): “Fare Thee Well” (1816), stanza 1
 
“Good-bye is always hello to something else.” -George Ella Lyon (born 1949): “Borrowed Children” (March 1988)
 
The custom of shaking hands began in ancient times when strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed and had no ill intent.
 
“So long, and thanks for all the fish!” -Douglas Adams (Douglas Noel Adams (1952 - 2001))
 
“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” -Author Unknown
 
Alex: Morning glory.
Felix: Evening grace.
 
“Take me to your leader.” -Unidentified Space Alien: line from a science fiction movie
 
Good-night, good-night! parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good-night till it be morrow.
-William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616): “Romeo and Juliet” (1595), Act II, scene ii
 
“We only part to meet again.” -John Gay (1685 - 1732)
 
Animal Theme Parting Lines
- Adieu, cockatoo!
- Adios, hippos!
- After a while, crocodile!
- Be well, speedy snail!
- Better shake, rattlesnake!
- Bye-bye, butterfly!
- Can’t stay, blue jay.
- Don’t meander, salamander!
- Good wishes, jellyfishes!
- Goodbye, dragonfly!
- Goodbye, fruit fly!
- Gotta go, buffalo!
- Hasta mañana, iguana!
- Hit the road, hoppy toad!
- See you later, alligator!
- See you soon, hairy baboon!
- See you soon, raccoon!
- See you then, penguin!
- So long, King Kong!
- Stay well, gazelle!
- Take care, grizzly bear!
- Take care, polar bear!
- Ta-ta, chihuahua!
- Toodle-oo, kangaroo!
- Tout de suite, parakeet!
- Until then, little red hen!
 
Cool Cat: How are things?
Hot Dog: Dyn-o-mite, baby.
 
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” -A. A. Milne (Alan Alexander Milne (1882 - 1956)): “Winnie the Pooh” (1926)
 
Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.
 
Logic: How are you?
Reason: I exist.
 
“Sometimes you have to find the good in goodbye.” -Author Unknown
 
Anne: How are you getting along?
Gus: Fair to midlin’.
 
“It is generally agreed that ‘Hello’ is an appropriate greeting because if you entered a room and said ‘Goodbye,’ it could confuse a lot of people.” -Dolph Sharp (born 1914)
 
“All farewells should be sudden.” -Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron (1788 - 1824)): “Sardanapalus” (1821), act V
 
Velma: How are things in the fast-paced business world?
Wilma: I’m just about breakin’ even.
 
“This is not goodbye, it’s just goodnight.” -Alan Freed (1922 - 1965): signature sign-off as a radio announcer
 
Jean: How are you?
Gene: Everything’s copacetic!*
*copacetic (koh-puh-SET-ik), adjective: satisfactory; fine.
 
“Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in life.” -Jean Paul Richter (1763 - 1825): as attributed in “The Pulpit Treasury” (March 1884)
 
‘CU L8R’ is an abbreviation for ‘See you later.’
 
“A friend bought a new wig before going on holiday, so I got him a comb as a parting gift.” -Author Unknown
 
We’ll meet again,
Don’t know where, don’t know when,
But I know we’ll meet again,
Some sunny day.
-Vera Lynn
 
The phrase ‘long time no see’ is believed to be a literal translation of a Native American or Chinese phrase as it is not grammatically correct.
 
Suzette: Y’all come back real soon now, ya hear?
Angus: You mean, like, right now?
Suzette: No, like, later!
Angus: Well, then . . . how about right now, is that later enough?
 
“‘It is never good dwelling on good-byes,’ she said. ‘It is not the being together that it prolongs, it is the parting.’” -Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Bibesco (also known as Princess Bibesco, Elizabeth Asquith, and Elizabeth Bibesco; born Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Asquith (1897 - 1945))
 
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Willy.
Willy, who?
Willy good to see you today, my friend!
 
What does it mean to ‘always leave on a high note’? It means to always leave people wanting more by saying uplifting or humorous words when you are on the way out.
 
“To all, to each, a fair good-night, and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light.” -Walter Scott (1771 - 1832)
 
Smokey Bear: See ya later!
Woodsy Owl: Owl be seeing you!
 
‘Håfa adai’ (pronounced approximately like ‘half a day’ but leaving out the ‘l’ sound in ‘half’) is an expression for ‘hello’ in the native Chamorro language of the island of Guam and the Northern Marianas, both of which are in the Mariana islands chain. The literal translation is ‘what friend’ and the expression is sometimes informally shortened to just ‘håfa.’
 
Is sticking out your tongue an acceptable way to greet people or to say goodbye to people?
 
‘Ciao’ (pronounced as ‘chow’) is an Italian expression that can be said to people both at meeting and at parting.
 
Similarly, the word ‘aloha’ (pronounced as ‘uh-loh-uh or ‘ah-loh-hah’) is Hawaiian for both ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye.’
 
Roseanne: How are you?
Marianne: I’m doing my best!
 
Overheard: I like smiling and waving at random strangers, because then they will spend the rest of the day trying to figure out who the mysterious person was that waved at them.
 
May your hellos outnumber your goodbyes as you continue on your journey . . . and may you never forget to ‘Make Fun Of Life!’ . . .