Auld Lang Syne

The year 2011 came in with less bells and whistles than 2010, which is ironic because 2011 is going to be one of the biggest years of my life so far. 2011 sort of just slipped on in at midnight giving no signs of the changes and possible greatness the year will hold.

This year, my life is going to move on from one era and into a whole new one. Change is the word to describe 2011, and I will definitely be writing about that ‘c’ word this week. But as 2011 came in Saturday morning at midnight, so did the thoughts of all that is going to happen this year. First of all, I start my student teaching on January 24. I have been waiting to student teach since I was three years old, and now it is actually here. Then, in 2011, I will graduate college. In May, I will graduate from the same school that my parents graduated from, from the college where my grandpa and aunt are on the Board of Trustees, from the college that has been a part of my life since I can remember. In May, I will pack up and move out of Huntington for good, saying goodbye to some of my closest friends. After that, I will get my first real full time job. My job that will lead to a career. I am going to have to get my own insurance, get a new car, and start supporting myself. And, this is the first time in my entire life where I have no idea where I could end up next. When 2011 came, it was the first time where I could not guess where I just may be on New Year’s Eve next year.

2011 is going to be one heck of a big year. I am excited for all that it has to hold. I am excited because 2011 is the gateway to a new era. I think Shauna Niequist in her book, Bittersweet, (see, I told you I liked that book) describes the season of being in your twenties best, and all of the reasons why I am excited for this new time of my life. I will share a few of my favorite excerpts from her chapter on being “Twenty Five”:

“When you’re twenty-five-ish, you’re old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding, and how to make something for dinner. You don’t have to think much about skin care, home ownership, or your retirement plan.”

“Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And ‘serious’ might mean walking away from the ones that don’t give you everything you need. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you make in this season will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without. One of the only truly devastating mistakes you can make in this season is staying with the wrong person even though you know he is the wrong person. It’s not fair to that person, and it’s not fair to you.”

“Twenty-five is the perfect time to get involved in a church that you love, no matter how different it is from the one you were a part of growing up. Set your alarm on Sunday mornings, no matter how late you were out on Saturday night. It will be dreadful at first, and then after a few weeks, you’ll find that you like it, that the pattern of it fills up something inside you.”

“Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. Walk away, try something new. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either.”

“These years will pass much more quickly than you think they will. You will go to lots of weddings, and my advice, of course is to dance your pants off at every single one. I hope you go to very few funerals. You’ll watch TV and run on the treadmill and go on dates, some of them great and some of them terrible.”

“Now is your time. Become, believe, try. Walk closely with people you love, and with other people who believe that God is very good and life is a grand adventure. Don’t spend time with people who make you feel like less than you are. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.”

And, my favorite:

“You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.”

2011 is the year where I am no longer dependent and where I will really start becoming in the world outside of being a student. And as 2011 announced its presence quietly at midnight, I for probably the 21st time in my life heard that famous New Year’s Eve song, “Auld Lang Syne.” I (naturally) looked up the lyrics and the meaning and was touched.

“Auld Lang Syne” translates to “old long since.” The song is all about remembering times past. Fitting for a new year’s song. I love this song because the first words ask the question, “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?” For the days gone by, we should not forget those that were a part of our past year or years. Should we forget those people who have helped shape what our new year will be? Should we forget old times gone by? No. But for auld lang syne we should remember and celebrate the past that has brought us to the present which will lead to the future.

And on New Year’s Eve I did remember those a part of the days leading to the new year and was reminded of all of the good times. Auld Lang Syne reminds me to keep those special to me close and for the sake of days gone by, love the people who painted your past- in whatever color.

So here is to 2011 and all of the unknown adventure that lies ahead. I am ready.