On saying goodbye ...

Lately saying goodbye, one way of another, has become a really huge part of my life.

This month, I had to say goodbye to one of the important men in my life. On February 1st my grandfather lost his battle with cancer. He was a great and wonderful man, very inspirational, although strict, tough and stubborn (I take that after him). He would have been 86 years old this May. He lived a full and fruitful life and left a great legacy behind. He did a lot for his community, he even wrote and published a book about the history of his village. Even though we had our share of differences, he taught me some valuable life lessons like importance of self-discipline, having beliefs and sticking to your guns, and, most important (well, for me at least), that being stubborn actually gets you somewhere. He was a dear dear man and he will always have a special place in my heart.

Saying goodbye sucks, regardless how you look at it. Dealing with death is something we all have to do, but we're never really ready; and no matter how well you prepare yourself for it, it still comes as a shock, still rips your heart out and leaves you hurt, empty and confused. But, nevertheless, you can get something positive from dealing with loss. Awareness of life and mere shortness of it for example....
For me, all these goodbyes and letting goes made me even more aware of the fact that life really is too short not to live it to the fullest extent and taking chances actually pays off. So from now on I decided to throw myself into opportunities, love, friendships, give it all, give my best, and surely something wonderful will happen. Like they say, if you don't go, you don't have a story....

And I really do have to mention another great man who lost his own battle this month... Alexander McQueen, a genius, an innovator, a huge talent that will be greatly missed by the entire fashion world. His work will continue to inspire generations to come.