Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Do any of you know what the phrase "Auld Lang Syne" means?  I got the gist of it, prior to this New Year's Eve, but I heard the question posed on a news report and came to the conclusion that I really don't know what it means.  So, I looked it up. :)

The song's Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long long ago", "days gone by" or "old times". Consequently "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times".

For the sake of old times.  Days gone by.  Once I found this, I began to think... what fond things would I like to remember from days gone by {2012}?  What difficult things do I wish to forget from days gone by?

Memories from the past year are both near and dear to my heart and others are quite difficult to swallow. We typically shove those hard and hurtful memories in a box and hope they don't resurface at any time going forward.  This takes practice and persistence.  2012 has proven to be the year of difficult situations and learning to swallow my pride and overcome them with confidence and fortitude.  I think the reigning message this year is that it's not always best to fight back.  We have come to the age in life where we can constantly share our opinions and put people in their place, or we can respectfully push aside our personal feelings and allow those people to have their voice, whether right or wrong.  I have had to bite my tongue and step back from the middle of the situation to the outside more times than I wish to count this year.  I have quietly observed and seen truth in situations where truth is what hurts the most.

But the fond memories... those are what are most prominent.  Those are memories that will fill your mind {cup} and help you forget those painful memories.  I have had many, many fond memories from 2012.  Some things I don't remember... like I am sitting here wracking my brain trying to remember what I did on New Year's last year... can't seem to figure it out!  If I spent last NYE with someone reading this blog, please don't be offended... it's just that a year is a long time... haha.  Other than New Year's, there are quite a few things that I do actually remember. :) (some things I am forced to refer to Facebook to determine where I went and what I did!)

Reading The Hunger Games - wonderfully profound series of non-fiction... a must read!  Eating amazing food in Downtown Raleigh:  Piebird * Poole's Diner * La Volta Italiano * Buku Raleigh * Sono * Capital Club 16 * Beasley's Chicken + Honey * Battistellas * The Big Easy * Raleigh Times Bar * Sitti * Busy Bee * Centro Dos Taquitos * Gravy * 18 Seaboard * Thaiphoon Bistro * Mellow Mushroom * The Flying Saucer * Sullivan's Steakhouse * And other yummy finds in the Triangle:  Dos Taquitos * Gonza Tacos y Tequila * The Flying Burrito * Lynwood Grill * Maggiano's Italian * Lemongrass Thai * Twisted Fork * Firebirds * Coquette * St. Jacques * and many many more.  Other entertainment:  Season Tickets to DPAC for 2011-2012 season:  Memphis * The Addams Family * Bring It On: The Musical * Wicked (Mother's Day with Mom & Sister) * West Side Story * Chicago.  Notable Movies of 2012:  The Hunger Games, Man on a Ledge, Big Miracle, The Vow, Gone, The Lorax, The Lucky One, Five Year Engagement, Brave, Magic Mike, People Like Us, Madea's Witness Protection, The Campaign, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Words, Pitch Perfect, Anna Karenina, Lincoln, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II, The Hobbit, Le Miserables, Parental Guidance, The Promised Land. 

Outside of the plethora of entertainment, January is a whirlwind (one of those months I really don't remember), February is full of fun birthdays - I took my sister on a fabulous birthday scavenger hunt!  March we celebrated more birthdays, one of which was my sweet niece's 4th birthday!  April took us to the North Carolina Aquarium for a Home School day with Jamie and the kids.  May took me to Emerald Isle for a couple of quick trips.  This was also the month we began to say goodbye to my bestie, Wheela who moved to Charlotte.  That was a tough time, but we got her good with a Bon Voyage party at Sitti. :) June (my birthday month) was full of surprises - spent the day with the aforementioned bestie and then had a wonderful dinner at Poole's Diner (this place is AMAZING).  There were quite a few other surprises, but my favorite was when Jamie & Allison brought the kids and we had a great day at the pool and fun surprises that day.  Most of the weekends over the summer, I was found at the pool.  July, I got my first tattoo (something on my bucket list) - an Eiffel Tower on my right ankle.  July and August were quite difficult with health issues, but that's a different story.  August was adorned with a wedding for my sweet Millie and a 1st Birthday Party for my best friend in RMT's baby Brannan.  September... oh September (and just literally the first week of September)... a whirlwind trip to New York City (for the very first time) - seeing the sites (lots of them in a short period of time) and Madonna in the new Yankee Stadium.  Thank goodness for the best travel partner, Suman!  Literally the day after I returned from NYC, we celebrated my smart and funny nephew's 6th birthday!  October brought Paris' 3rd birthday and homemade Halloween costumes for the coolest kids!  November was not uneventful - I began the process of the Gastric Bypass surgery.  I also spent Thanksgiving with the family and the two turkeys that occupy my time when I am home.  December was full of tests, doctors appointments, evaluations and phone calls for medical records... and a wonderful concert... Dave Matthews Band and The Lumineers!!!  But once I turned that corner at Christmas, I was on my way!!  December 26th started the beginning of the rest of my life with the surgery.

And here I am, January 1, 2013 reflecting on all that I can honestly remember at this point.  And it is enough.  It is more than enough.  I have the best life... the best friends... the best family... I couldn't ask for more.  Do I ever feel alone?  Sure.  Do I ever wish I had someone to come home to?  Sure (I come home to my 4-legged kid for now).  Do I ever regret anything I've done or any choices I've made?  Absolutely 100% NO.

So should old times be forgot?  Nope.  They should be remembered fondly, learned from and reflected on.  Look how much things have changed since January 1, 2012... it's unfathomable.

Kell