Farewell. And by the way, you rock!

Every time there's a resignation at my workplace, a huge A-4 sized farewell card is circulated and everyone writes stuff on it about the resigning soul.

The things I write on those cards set me thinking. I highlight the very best things about the person. And all these things I write are genuine things I feel about the person. I praise the person and disclose all the qualities about him/her that inspired me. I even find small things I appreciate in people I don't like, and write it down on the card.

And it's the same with everyone. No one writes stuff like "Thanks for making my life hell when we were working on project X." or "I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're leaving!" or "Good riddance, man! Thanks for resigning!" or "Yeay! No more of you tomorrow onwards!"

It's always, "You liven up the office!" or "Will miss your bad jokes terribly!" or "Can't imagine the team without you!" or "Thanks for the great work in project Y" or "Project Z would never have been a success without you!" or "Thanks for helping me out when I was new." or "All the best for your new job."

And as I think about it, I realise something. That somehow, the things I write on the farewell cards are things I would probably never say in person. These kinda words are disclosed only when a person is leaving. I say that from personal experience too. Because of Dad's frequent transfers, I've had to say 'Goodbye' to a lot of people. And every time, I would come to know of good things they thought of me, just when I was leaving. And often, the stuff they wrote on farewell cards or said at the airport or train station came as real surprises.

Why is it that we always wait till the farewell before we tell people what we really feel about them? Do we end up saying all that's in our heart only because we know that we're not going to see the person again? If so, why are we scared of facing these people after telling them what we feel?

Why does the good stuff have to wait till the farewell?