Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

"If you think back and replay your year, and it doesn't bring out tears of joy or sadness consider it wasted."

Many years back I had heard this line, and I don’t think there can be any better way to understand how a year of one’s life came to a conclusion. 2005! New Year! New Beginnings! New Resolutions! However, I believe you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.

Perhaps on the first day of the New Year, it would make sense if we look back and reflect! I personally do not think I have had a more dramatic year in my life as 2004! It was extremely interesting to go through so many dramatic and unseen changes.

Change is always for the better, but sometimes change is one thing, which is extremely hard to accept. However, the sooner one makes peace with change, the sooner one finds joy!

So many things changed, on a positive note, I completed three decades on Earth and what a short, yet seemingly long journey it has been! It made me realize one fact, time flies!

And if one is thinking one has all the time in the world, dear friend, you better fly with time, because I think you cannot get back the time you lost! It’s gone for good!

I think life and time teaches you everything you need to know, because as time goes by, you realize what you thought was very important is never that important and what you thought was frivolous is never that frivolous!

We all love to live in the past, be it with cherished memories, or lessons of life that were learnt the hard way, or we are so driven that we anticipate a better tomorrow.

I do not think it is wrong to have memories or ambition, and definitely, it is wise to remember the lessons one learns, but in all this equation, we forget ‘what is’ to ‘what was’ or ‘what could be’!

We all think of the good old days, when life seemed simple, but was it really? I mean think about this!

Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?

I would not! And simply because its wishful thinking!

Life is about the choices we make today, it does not matter what we thought yesterday or what we will think tomorrow, what really matters is what we are thinking “NOW”!

It is our choices that make us who we are!

Moreover, what we think is what we get!

As I said earlier, I had dramatic year and there were numerous moments that I think were very exceptional.

To cite two:

I learnt that I did everything I loved till date, but somewhere along the way I forgot to love myself! (This is not about being vain!)

And I learnt that the real forgiveness in life begins when you realize and accept the fact that you cannot go back in the past and change anything!

Don’t worry, I have many more examples, but I think for today these two should suffice!

I know we all have been affected at varying degrees at the way the world has turned, and at times things and circumstances dishearten us, it certainly disheartened me, but I take solace in wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Just read the following:

Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

I think for me my time is precious, life is beautiful even in its imperfections and though many a times hope fades and life seems so bleak and dark, I sincerely believe nothing is in vain, because there is always inner strength!

I have deliberately chosen not to address the losses, because no words can soothe those wounds, but I sincerely think in times of adversity, heroes rise!

And I do not want to believe that any loss was in vain, because I need to believe there has to be more to this than just death!

Anyway, each moment is precious and no matter what life finds a way to go on and with cherished memories and important lessons learnt in 2004!

I wish everyone a beautiful New Year!

Friends, who stand the test of time
Friends, who make the best of time
The friends you know will be near
Each and every year
Every time you hear Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

Time...
Is forever passing by
An ever restless friend moving on
Just like the friends
Go though the years
We’ll walk beside you

Friends, who stand the test of time
Friends, who make the best of time
The friends you know will be near
Each and every year
Every time you hear Auld Lang—

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

Yes, love, who stand the test of time
Love, who make the best of time
The love you know will be near
Yes, each and every year
Every time you hear Auld Lang Syne

We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne...