Auld Lang Syne.

As the year comes to an end, Farewell 2014. A roller-coaster ride of emotions and memories and a whole lot of blah blah blah. Just another regular year, I suppose.You shall be missed, and not missed. Forgive my unusual cynicism. Cynicism that to be honest is nothing but disappointed idealism. Which I realised when my best friend tried to convince me that a few bad days did not mean a bad year. It's been a great year. A year full of lessons and cliched inner awakening otherwise called growing up.

It's weird looking back at who I started 2014 with and who I'm ending 2014 with. Who I was a year ago, and who I am right now. Truth be told, I could not be happier with who I am at this moment. "Who can say if I've been changed for the better...I have been changed for good." I feel closer to home than I have ever been. It's a whirlwind of change but I feel centered. Which brings me to what I wanted to talk about. Change. Greek symbol Delta. The only constant in life, blah blah blah. We love it, we hate it, and in the end, we deal with it because there is nothing we can do about it. People change, ideas change, circumstances change and before you know it, the year ends and you're a new person- or just a new and improved version of yourself.

I think the biggest lesson I learnt (about time) was that everything is temporary.
Law of Impermanence : 1 Humans : 0
"For last years words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."
- T.S. Eliot.

The dictionary definition of 'real' is 'that which persists always'. Then what is reality? If nothing lasts forever and 'always' is just another word. I guess this just means another unanswered question- another mystery of the universe. The answer is out there I suppose. And all this time, (and I speak for myself), I know that I wasn't looking. But, 2014 has made me aware to an extent of what is real and true. And as you awaken to your feeling of being, you realise that it was everything that you already knew. You are what you were trying to become and achieve. You do not become compassionate, you are compassion. You do not become more loving, you are love. You do not become forgiving, you are forgiveness, and so on. So yeah, there's that.
The ocean persists, waves come and go. You are the entire ocean in a single drop and not a single drop in the ocean. Life happens. Moments come and go. C'est la vie.

I am often asked why I'm happy all the time. Why I am so optimistic. Often told that I don't seem like the kind of person to be sad, why, when I'm always sunshine. People fail to understand. If there could be accurate measurement- life would really be finite suffering and infinite hope. For me, what I learnt this year was that there is no point whatsoever in being negative. Being negative will almost certainly ruin stuff. Being positive on the other hand, might make a difference and might not. I am willing to take that risk. Hope, hope is everything. If you haven't found it, keep looking. I hope you find what you're looking for the coming year.

If I've learnt anything in 2014, it's that you should seize the moment and tell people how important they are to you. Not because they could leave at any moment, but because they are here now and its worth saying something. Who could put it in better words than Ted Mosby- "It's easy in life to part ways with people forever, so when you do find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it." 86400 seconds. Have you used at least one of them to tell someone they mean a lot to you? I know I have :)

I could go on and on and on. The memories and lessons have been countless and unforgettable. Good or bad, yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. You survived. I did too. And so, somehow, we all stumbled onto another blank canvas. Paint a colourful picture. Write a bestselling novel. I've learnt a lot the past year, including the fact that you are only as weak and irrelevant as you convince yourself to be. It's not wrong to be upset or sad or cynical as long as you shake it off and let go. Right, another lesson- It's not weak to be afraid or sad, it's human and actually just a timely reminder that you have something to lose and gratitude is the way to go.

Auld Lang Syne. For Old Time's Sake.

Pause. Reflect on the year gone by. Hold memories close. Forgive. Believe in second chances. Love and be loved. As Josh Duhamel's character in New Year's Eve signed off with- Thats what New year's is all about. Love, and a good party.

Auld Lang Syne, share your cup of kindness.
Happy New Year. Write a good book. I wish you all happiness and luck and love.

Love,
Ankita.