According to this page, a good translation of the words "auld lang syne" is "times gone by."
Well, another year is gone and I must say, "Good Riddance!". This has been a year of many disappointments and shortcomings... mostly mine.
I suppose I should have known what the year would be like when I went to the doctor 3 times before the middle of February. I had been to the doctor, maybe 3 times in the previous ten years. I should have seen it for the portent that it was.
It hasn't been all bad. If you get past the miserable first 5 months that I was sick and the traffic stop that nearly turned into a COPS episode on Easter Sunday; forget the home invasion, the murder of my brand new camera and the vandalism of my car all in May and June and gloss over the joke that my job has become since July; if you can look past all that plus my car being totaled last month, well the rest was just an average year.
Above Average
I suppose it sounds like I'm having a pity party and no one else is invited but the truth is, despite all of the hardships and heartache of 2008, I am happy to have come out the other side. I may be bloodied and bruised, but I am still standing, still moving forward (or at least scratching and clawing to keep from sliding backward).
Some days I think, "how did I get so old and what the hell do I have to show for it". Most days, I wonder what the hell I am doing, or at least why. I am not so naive as to think I am the first or the only person to feel inadequate, ineffectual or unsuccessful. (It just feels that way sometimes.)
I was able to make it back 'home' to Columbus for Christmas and be with my family, My mom, my sister, her husband and their four kids. I got to play the favorite uncle, my favorite role. I love spending holidays with the whole family and especially the kids. Kids add magic to Christmas; it is hard to deny. Still, after a couple of days of four kids hooping and hollering and generally vying for attention, I am reminded why I love other people's kids.
So, with the passing of one year and the promise of another, I wish for all my friends, good luck, good health and prosperity.
FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.
Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.
- copied from http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm
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