Adieu 2018, let the celebrations begin!
Another year is slipping away through the fingers; all ready to stumble into the annals of history. The year that came, played its innings and now returns to the pavilion. Whether it played a good innings or not, varies from person to person, yet it deserves applause for trying its best.
As this departing year is on its last legs, the whole world is bubbling with renewed energy to welcome the New Year, celebrating tomorrow's dawn as the harbinger of hope. We feel excited as if the new year would bring about a miracle that would eradicate all ills, misfortunes and failures from our lives, and herald more fortunate, fulfilling and fun-filled times ahead. Every year, the last day sends us down memory lane. How it was ushered in with much fanfare! How we had welcomed it with open arms, swaying and staying with it in the intoxication of anticipation.
With all this merry-making and celebrations, we not only welcome the New Year, but also express our gratitude to the year that we bid adieu to, for all the joys, happiness, achievements and triumphs it brought for us; and also for teaching us many lessons; giving us the strength to fight against the odds we encountered. As it prepares itself to pass the baton of responsibility on to the New Year, the world awaits with bated breath to see how the coming year will unfold itself.
But didn’t we think this way even on last New Year’s Eve? Though we can demarcate two years by the stroke of midnight, life moves on, and so do we, like a river flowing at its peaceful, rhythmic flow; at times having an easy, comfortable and smooth journey, and at times striking against the obstructions, resulting in high waves of anxiety, challenges, failures and setbacks; and then the innate human resilience reverts it back to its natural calm passage. We introspect about what is gone; and mull over what our life would be, or should be, in the days to come. On the first day, we make new resolutions or a wish list of things-to-do in the New Year.
When we were young, we were told that whatever we did on the first day of the year, we would go on doing for the whole year. So what we did was stay happy, make up with friends with whom we had fought (remember that ‘katti and abbi’ business); not to do anything to invite angry reactions from our elders; and even think of eating our favourite dish so that we can enjoy it throughout the year!
But this social norm exhorted us to be more benign, more optimistic, and more forgiving; and it filled us with positive energy.
Life is beautiful, precious and a celebration. Let’s accept each coming day and year as a bonus, as an opportunity to make up for the ones we lost to live life as we always wanted to live it; and which perhaps the heavy weight of responsibilities didn’t allow us to.
Let our pens flow with the ink of positivity, empathy, grace and gratitude; let’s be more humane and choose our words cautiously so as to never hurt anyone. Let’s be more sensitive towards the upkeep of our environment as Nature bestows this huge responsibility upon us. This is my wish list for 2019 as we bid adieu to 2018.
Let the celebrations begin!
OUR GRATITUDE TO
THIS YEAR FOR ALL THE JOYS AND TRIUMPHS IT BROUGHT AND ALSO FOR TEACHING US MANY LESSONS