As much as I love New Year’s Eve—which is as much as I love the start of a fresh new school
year (a lot)—it can be kind of terrifying.
Is that the right word?
Electrifying?
Tantalizing?
Heady?
All of the above.
5-4-3-Oh, what am I leaving behind?-2-1!
Think of the possibilities.
We’re not riding into the sunset.
We’re riding into the dawn of a new day.
But first, we do have to say goodbye to the past.
Auld Lang Syne*, the bittersweet song that is synonymous with this time of year, is an ode to years’ past as we move forward.
The words literally translate to “old, long, since” or, roughly, “times gone by.”
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
In the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
And surely, you will buy your cup
And surely, I’ll buy mine!
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
We two who’ve paddled in the stream
From morning sun ’til night
The seas between us roared and swelled
Since the days of auld lang syne
For old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should old acquaintance be forgot
For the sake of auld lang syne?
For old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should old acquaintance be forgot
In the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
Now that you can sing along, here are a couple of versions of the song:
and
As we step into the new year and let go of the old, my wish for you is that you remember the good from the past and look forward with hope.
Remember the people in your life—old and new, remember where you’ve been over the years—figuratively and literally, and share a drink—a cup of kindness—for times gone by as we usher in the new year.
Happy New Year!
~ Gail
(Tick tock)
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*In 1788, Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns wrote the words to Auld Lang Syne basing them on an old folk ballad. (See, even gifted writers borrow themes and ideas to make their own.) The melody came about ten years later (a year after Burns’ death) by an unknown composer.
