On this NYE of 2017, I was curious what the title “Auld Lang Syne” literally translates to. Of course, this is the song that is synonymous with the stroke of midnight to bring in a new year. It’s from a Robert Burns poem and is Scottish. I found a few variations on the web, but I think it’s safe to assume it is loosely translated to something meaning the good ole’ days.
This is not how I view 2017. I can’t say it was a terrible year. It had its struggles, to be sure, but no more so in totality than other years. I mean since 2013 things have been….shall we say…..challenging. It’s been full of more struggles and growth and pain than I care to recall. So 2017 really just added to it. Therefore, I don’t really view any of the last five years as “good ole’ days”.
2017 was hard. If for nothing else, the realization the time had come for E’s heart surgery and the surgery and recovery itself would have prevented 2017 from being among my list of favorite years. However, now I’m so glad we’ve closed out the year with this behind us. It’s done. Over. On to years without dreading surgery.
Of course, there were other challenges….much the same for everyone. But now they’re in the past. So 2017 may have been hard, but it wasn’t impossible. It didn’t do us in. Older, wiser, stronger now as a result.
I’m looking ahead to the new year with anticipation. Just like every year before, it will not be all good or all bad, but a mix of both. Will we choose to focus on the struggles or the strength we’ve gained from them?
Adventures in Perfection 