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Cassandra Di Lalla (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

I’m a firm believer that our death is predetermined from birth. I was raised Roman Catholic, but I do not go to church. I believe that there is a higher power and that miracles do happen sometimes. I’ve always considered myself to be more spiritual than anything else. Some people may find that my ways are a little unorthodox, but I live the life that I need to live for myself. I’m very intuitive and I’m a free spirit.

I’ve always thought that the word “goodbye” was something to fear, since the harsh reality is that we’re all going to leave this earth one day. Until then, life should be lived to the fullest . . . mindfully, purposefully, unapologetically and in the most legendary way. When the afterlife takes us, I truly believe that we’ll live vicariously through our loved ones who are still walking the earth. Our spirits live on, even when our bodies start to deteriorate and wilt away. This is such a pure statement . . . the ideology behind it is so simple, yet so significant. Our spirits can travel to places that our physical bodies were never able to. Our souls are doing laps around the sun, comforting the moon, snuggling with the stars, visiting the fur friends who have crossed over to find the rainbow bridge and spending quality time with our relatives, who have reserved a spot for our souls to recharge before we travel all over again the next day. 

Life is incredibly short—too short—and I feel as though a lot of people take it for granted. Life in itself is inevitable, it will happen regardless of the good or the bad, because life is a vessel and it carries both the internal and external of everything that simply is. Life is in us and around us, and it follows us indefinitely. 

Don’t leave the house without telling your loved ones to be safe and that you love them. Don’t let the little things get in the way of enjoying the wholesome moments. Will the petty stuff matter if you lose someone overnight or the next day? No, because nothing is more valuable than the life of a loved one. Don’t go to bed angry—just let it go. Your last words shouldn’t be “I hate you,” “I can’t stand you,” “Just leave already” or anything along those lines. You will have to bear that for the rest of your days. You will constantly be reminded that your words will forever live on in your mind and in your heart. You will struggle to find solace afterwards. 

The best kind of goodbye is not having to say goodbye. We all hope that it can be a “See you later” instead, because we all pray for a safe return home. A last goodbye also means permanent pain—the heart and soul suffer and the shock is everlasting.

Life is a scary game of Russian roulette, but we shouldn’t live in fear, despite each day being a 50/50 draw. Our lives are being raffled off by the devil and he’s waiting for our souls to shed its layers so that he can feed off the remnants. It’s almost like the devil prepares a travel itinerary for us because we’re sometimes misguided and we often wonder who’s at fault. If life depended on the devil’s plan, then we would all be at his glory, and under his wrath. 

Saying goodbye should feel as though you’re seeing a bright future beyond the clouds and under the stars at night; it is leaving the world behind knowing that your heart was always roaming the earth with good intentions. Saying goodbye should be singing sweet symphonies on the way out the door and being led to your throne in the sky. Your heart holds a little piece of heaven, but heaven holds every last bit of you. 

Don’t hold your loved ones accountable for your fate, because nobody deserves to have to fight off the guilt once you’ve departed. 

Saying goodbye is part of life, and we are part of what life is all about. Saying goodbye is  in everybody’s deck of cards, but not all of us are aware that that’s the game we’re forced to play since day one. 

Goodbye might be forever in the physical world, but it might also be a “Hello” or a rebirth in another world. The afterlife is eternal, so our worries can take a backseat and we can enjoy the ride that we never got to experience in the physical world. 

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Cassandra Di Lalla lives life purposefully. She enjoys reading, writing and mental health initiatives. She’s an animal lover for life and an innovative individual always finding new ways to create.