A New Year!

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. – Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1850

I really don’t know why, but New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are two of my favourite days of the year. Maybe it has something to do with that feeling of freshness that accompanies the thought of a new year.
For me it’s practically impossible to be in a bad mood on New Year’s. I know it probably sounds cheesy, but New Years actually feels like one of those magical moments of one’s lives.
You have so many choices. How exactly you choose to ring in the New Year is up to you. Who you choose to ring in the New Year with is up to you. And there are those who believe that what you do on New Year’s sets the tone for the rest of the year.
It’s a bit of a heady feeling, being able to be there for the beginning of a brand new year.
And 2013 is going to be a massive year for persons in my age cohort. At school, we’re ‘The Class of 2013’. We’re graduating this year. We’re writing our final CAPE Exams this year. We’re going to university this year. We have to grow up this year. I’m turning 18 in November 2013. I’ll be a full-fledged adult. (Imagine that!)
So it was pretty crazy for all of those people to think the world was going to end in 2012 because 2013 has absolutely got to happen. It’s simply too important to not happen.
People change, it’s true, but most times change happens over time – so gradual you barely notice. But this year is the year we’ll have to change. We’ll have to wake up in the morning and be responsible for how our day is going to go – especially if we’re studying abroad.
Becoming an “adult” is the heart-stopper. So maybe it’s in anticipation of that that my brother and I have been meandering through all of the Disney classics. Can you ever outgrow the “Lion King”? Hope not!
By now people are probably reflecting on 2012, agonising about things they may have wanted to do differently, remembering their best moments, their worst moments. And they’re probably heading into 2013 with expectations (or dread?) of what the year could be or should be.
So New Year’s Day is that day where we can all pat ourselves on the back for making it through yet another year. Some of us may still be resting on our laurels if it was a successful year. And some of may be still be battle-scarred if it was a tough year. But we all have something in common; we’ve pulled through it all to be here to ring in the New Year.
But New Year’s Eve and New Years Day aren’t the time to worry and fret. It’s the time to enjoy yourself with the people who mean the most to you. It’s a time of transition, when all possibilities lie ahead.
In many ways, New Year’s Day is like the ultimate Friday. I love Fridays, because Fridays are the end of the week, the beginning of the weekend – the transition. It’s the most glorious day of the week. And I think many people share that sentiment, hence TGIF.
So TGINY! Happy New Year!!