How Do You Say Goodbye? (June 19, 2026)

A thank you letter didn’t feel adequate.

When I drove to La Paloma, Uruguay, Danny and Mechthild had prepared for my visit in many thoughtful and unexpected ways. First, they opened their resort to me and refused to let me pay for my time there. They gave me a spacious room with a kitchen, and then went ahead and stocked it full of nutritious food. Every breakfast of my stay was pre-arranged and I had more fruit than I had time to eat it.

Here’s how I was greeted on my first day after driving three hours from Montevideo:

Om Namah Shivaya is a foundational Hindu mantra meaning adoration to the auspicious one; the supreme, universal consciousness and the true, divine self residing within all beings.

This is just the fruit left for me. The kitchen is fully stocked as well. Wow.

Then, they took me to a nearby Mexican restaurant which was one of the best Mexican experiences I’ve had in my world tour.

First night together, getting to know one another from the start.

Both Danny and Mechthild went out of their way to give me the best possible experience here in La Paloma, Uruguay. I became a big part of their week and spend every day with them — so beyond my wildest expectations of what this experience could possibly be.

So as I reflected on my time in La Paloma, my first instinct was to use the creative space of the blackboard to thank my hosts … now my extended family here in Uruguay, for their hospitality. But what to say? How do you express the deep impact made these past 5 days? Hmm.

I looked up all the ways to express the word LOVE in sanskrit.

With the help of Uncle Google, I could interpret the many ways to express love in Sanskrit. Here’s what I learned:

Sanskrit is renowned for having an incredibly nuanced and vast vocabulary for love, boasting dozens of terms that capture distinct shades of affection, desire, and devotion. Rather than relying on a single word, the language distinguishes between romantic passion, tender affection, universal love, and devotion.

The most common and significant words for love in Sanskrit vary depending on the context:

• Prema (प्रेमन् / प्रेमा): The most common and universal word for pure, unconditional love. It represents love in its highest form, ranging from personal affection to a deep, all-encompassing love that can extend towards humanity or the divine.

• Sneha (स्नेह): Signifies tender affection, friendship, or deep care. Derived from the root meaning "to oil" or "smooth," it describes a feeling that soothes and touches the heart naturally.

• Kama (काम): Represents physical love. It personifies the sensory pleasures of love.

• Bhakti (भक्ति): Denotes supreme devotion, reverence, and love directed toward the divine or a higher purpose. It forms the foundation of Bhakti Yoga.

• Anuraga (अनुराग): Implies intense emotional attachment, deep passion, and devotion. It is often used to describe a heart overflowing with vibrant affection or being "colored" by the emotions one feels for someone.

• Pranaya (प्रणय): translates to love, affection, confidence, and tender friendship. It represents a deep, trusting bond of the heart that bridges attraction and mature, devoted partnership.

Yes to ALL of these versions of love I received this week. Danny and Mechthild were my teachers. They showed me all the ways humans express love to other humans. They recognized me as their family as all people are ultimately one universal family.

You know how you can intellectually “know” something, but then experience for the first time and then REALLY KNOW and UNDERSTAND it? That’s what I experienced these past 5 days.

Going deeper with my heart-felt acknowledgement of them both

The final touch … ready to be received upon entering the room.

I enjoyed my last breakfast Mechthild prepared for me. I packed up and I drove with a full heart to the Montevideo airport. I returned my car which, SHOCKINGLY had no damage. Given all the dirt roads with giant moguls to navigate, I was bracing for damages. They will, however, wait 7 days to release my full $3,000 deposit, just in case I was caught in any speed traps. I’m pretty sure I kept within the speed limits, but understand this is a big revenue booster for the Uruguayan government, so I won’t beat myself up if I didn’t slow down in time.

And then, I had one last parting gift from Uruguay.

This is Emilia (Emi) Brisa from 30 min outside of Montevideo, Uruguay

While waiting in line to check out bags, Emilia (Emi) asked me in Spanish if she was in the correct line to Santiago, Chile. Yes, indeed. I shared that my Spanish language skills were weak (although much improved spending a month here in South America) and she kindly switched to English. When I told her I was from New York, she shared that she invited her daughter to go with her to New York, but that her daughter wasn’t interested. What!?! Emi couldn’t believe it. Her daughter said she didn’t have any friends and didn’t know anyone in New York.

So after I checked my bag, I handed Emi one of my business cards and said, “tell your daughter that you now both have a friend in New York.” Emi texted her daughter and now they both are excited to come to New York. (See, Danny and Mechthild, I wasted no time applying the new skills you both taught me).

Once through security, Emi stopped me to tell me and then I invited her to have dinner with me while we waited for our flight to Chile. She explained that she owned her own business, but was struggling to grow her customer base.

Universe, I love you. Thank you for sending me the very people I’m here to support. So, of course, I spent the time breaking down the core four of every business: (1. Niche, 2. Offer, 3. Generate, and 4. Convert — or the Who, What, Where and When of every business). The time FLEW buy, and Emi’s head was spinning. We covered a lot of ground in an hour, and then I sent her my book and AskBill.us so that she could slow it down and dive deep into what we just discussed.

That said, by the time dinner was done, she had already narrowed her niche, created her irresistible offer, and a plan for where to generate her opportunities (beyond the referrals she was already receiving). Not bad for an hour’s conversation.

Then she shared why she was going to Santiago, Chile. To see this man in concert:

I tried buying tickets while in line to board my flight, but the site doesn’t accept payments from foreigners. Hmm. Something to try and work on tomorrow. If this is Emi’s THIRD time seeing this artist and the venue is 20 minutes from my hotel, I think I have a plan of what I’m doing tomorrow.

Juneteenth

While on my flight, I took a moment to thank Tonya Parris and Bettie Spruill for creating Transformation of Race. Everyday and especially on Juneteenth, I’m deeply aware of my privilege as a cisgender, heterosexual white male. My eyes were opened in my first experience of the multi-day workshop, Transformation of Race. I distinctly remember a pivotal moment when I asked Bettie Spruill what I believed to be a fair and honest question, “Bettie, what can I do to make a difference?”

Her answer rocked me to my core. She answered my question with one of her own, “Bill, how do you not know?” Boom. Mic Drop. Game over.

I got it. If I truly care enough to make a difference, then I care enough to do my own research of the many, many available resources out there. By asking me how I didn’t know, Bettie was gently, but firmly reinforcing one of the biggest problems in racism. Those who are most impacted by the systematic pillars of racism are further burdened by privileged white guys like me asking them to do the work for me.

It was so blatantly obvious when she turned my own question on me. Did I really care that little to ask a black woman how I, a white male, could make a difference to stem the tide of racism? That was the last time I asked a person of color to do my work for me. I immediately got to work reading the books out there, watching the movies, joining support groups and forever eradicating my indifference.

Tonya responded with such power and grace, it stopped me in my tracks. Here’s what I wrote to Tonya:

Thinking of you today on Juneteenth. Thank you for Transformation of Race with Bettie Spruill. The two of you opened my eyes and my heart. I am a better man because of you.

Truly, I had no expectations of a response. I simply thumbs up or heart would have been more than enough. And even that wasn’t “expected.” I simply wanted Tonya to know I was thinking of her and she was on my mind often and especially today. Here’s what she said in response:

Thank you for this beautiful message. It means more than I can express.

Transformation of Race was a deeply meaningful experience for me as well, and I am grateful that you were willing to engage with it so openly and wholeheartedly. Bettie and I often hoped that participants would leave with a greater understanding of one another and of themselves. Knowing that the experience touched your heart in such a profound way is a gift.

The growth, reflection, and transformation belong to you. We simply helped create the space. Thank you for bringing your authenticity, your courage, and your willingness to lean into conversations that matter.

On this Juneteenth, I am grateful to be in community with people like you.

I have a deep, heartfelt love and appreciation for you, Bill! ☺️

I teared up. I SO wasn’t expecting this and said as much:

Wow 🤯 I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful 😍 response.

I genuinely wanted you (and Bettie) to know how deeply this work has impacted me and my ways of being.

Knowing I have the ability to make a difference and positive impact has challenged me to show up differently, be better and remain curious.

Thank you for your heart ❤️ and your kindness. Means the world to me.

As Violet would say, “So THAT happened.” Meaning, I’m still processing it. When someone you deeply respect gives you an unexpected compliment, it can stop you in my tracks. It certainly did for me.

This is a great reminder for me to never miss an opportunity to share loving kindness with another person. This is a deep ripple from all I just experienced with Danny and Mechthild. Their unwavering love for me, had me deeply wanting to share my experience and gratitude with others. What I wasn’t anticipating was the reverberation coming back to me in an even greater way than I put out. I’m still learning. And I love that I’m still learning.