Goodbye is a word I typically don’t like to use. It’s a word said thousands of times a day from people all over the world – but for me, I just don’t like it.

But lately I’ve been finding myself saying more goodbyes than I’ve been wanting to say over the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, I had to say goodbye to our family dog, Buddy. I won’t go too in-depth here – as I have written about him in a previous column – but I miss him dearly. Ditto that the rest of the family.

There’s not many things in this world that are as special as a “boy and his dog” and I was so incredibly fortunate to have that.

Coming up in the next few weeks, I will have to say goodbye to my house over in Milledgeville.

For those that don’t know, my dad and I purchased a house together back in 2022 at the end of my junior year of college. A move that I was on the fence about doing, but glad that I did anyway.

I immediately fell in love with the house as it had the perfect setup for me. My own bedroom, my own bathroom, my own kitchen and even my dream office. It had everything I could ever possibly want or need.

But of course, it just is not feasible to drive over an hour every single day from Milledgeville to Covington, so I primarily have been staying with my parents in Monticello – which is just 30 minutes away from the office. I then travel back to Milledgeville just about every weekend to enjoy the little time I have in my own home.

Unfortunately, that is also set to come to an end as I will make the move back to Monticello full-time.

It will be sad to see it go, but I will have a ton of memories that I will remember the rest of my life from that house. I also had other times that I may not remember as well, but I digress.

Lastly, our legals clerk Alicia Goolsby here at The Covington News is set to depart the office, as she takes an incredible opportunity elsewhere.

I’m still the new kid on the block here at the office, so I’ve not had the chance to know Alicia for as long as the rest of the staff, but I was equally as bummed out as everyone else. Her presence and kindness will be missed by all of us and there really will be no replacing her here.

But as I’m reminded so often, with every goodbye comes a hello.

My dad is going to be getting a new dog soon – another pug named Harry. While it will never replace Buddy, it will be a fun addition to the Newton household.

Someone’s going to buy my old house and have a great experience with it just like I did. They may even create some lasting memories in that place and make their mark in Milledgeville just like I did.

But with this move, I’m fully opening up to saying hello to this new chapter of my life that is away from college. It’s nerve wracking, but just as equally exciting.

And Alicia will be saying goodbye to us at The Covington News, but will be taking an opportunity that will elevate her to wherever she wants to be. I couldn’t be any happier for her.

Plus, in turn, we will be saying hello to whoever may be taking her place. It will be fun having a new person to talk to and get to know in the office.

So while I will continue to dread saying goodbye, I hope to pair it with a welcoming hello.