So we've reached the end of another year and what a year it has been!
Canada and Alberta have seen a complete shift in the political atmosphere. Both the price of oil and the Canadian loonie took an unfortunate nosedive, and Miley Cyrus released a new studio album. All in all, an interesting year. I'd say.
When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31 we will all bid a fond farewell to 2015 and look with anticipation at the upcoming year. While we look ahead it is, of course, always prudent to look behind us as well.
In 1788 Robert Burns, a Scotsman, wrote a poem encouraging the reflection of days gone by and people who have touched our lives. Auld Lang Syne is heard at pretty much every English speaking New Year's party and pretty much every TV sitcom ever produced during their token New Year's episodes.
Set to music, it is intended to be a reflection of days gone by, or more accurately translated, times long past. A new year is a time to put aside petty differences and find peace with the passing year, the passage of time, and the people who have touched our lives. It is a time to remember old acquaintances and forgive past grievances in favour of a fresh start.
While 2015 may not have been Canada's most prosperous year, we can certainly be grateful for coming out of it a little older, a little wiser, and despite what the doomsday naysayers would have you believe, in one piece.
They say that life is a journey, not a destination, so we should celebrate the passage of another year and embrace all of the opportunity that a new one brings. There are so many who began 20 15 and are sadly not making out the other side. Celebrate all that 2015 had to offer, all we have learned. The time is now to set goals, dream big, and imagine a 2016 that you will be proud to celebrate one year from today.
Take a moment to reach out to an old friend and ask how they have been. Take the time to read a book you've been meaning to read. Every year is a new chance to set the journey of your life on a new track and another 365 days to see where that track leads.
Should old acquaintance be forgotten? I think not. I recently had the privilege of reconnecting with an old friend from high school. It's amazing to see how much she has changed, and even more amazing to see how much she has stayed the same. If someone has touched your life, it is never too late to reach out and find one another again.
Imagine a 2016 where bonds of friendship are reforged, new connections are made, and everyone beginning anew on Jan. 1 has another stepping stone on the journey through life.
Perhaps we should all heed Mr. Burns' sage advice and take a cup of kindness, extend a helping hand, and have a cold drink with an old friend.
