The newness of New year

The English calendar has taken another roll and it is new year across the globe wherever the gregorian calendar is observed.

I remember as a child New year was no less than our birthday for us. It was all about new clothes,  new accessories, lots of sweets and candies, the last day of school vacations and lots of fun, games and wishes.

A few years yonder as little girls and boys, it gained more priority. What with all the new year plans and resolutions, and heedings from teachers and parents to make this occasion an opportunity to excel, improvise or change for better. Lots of resolutions were made and broken, lots of goals were set and accomplished/abandoned, and lots of promises were made and kept.

As we grew into teenagers and our avenues and dimensions expanded, group resolutions and plans were made, diaries and notes kept, memories were captured in words and images and greeting cards and gifts exchanged. New year became a time to let bygones be bygones, reconcile differences among friends and mend broken hearts.

image courtesy: www.gettyimages.com

This ritual continued more or less unaltered through our college years, and then suddenly, stealthily all definitions changed as life changed gears, and new year plans, resolutions, exchanges and all seemed childish.

But the joy and hope of new beginning remains and my wishes on new year are more heart-felt and sincere. New year means new endeavours, new interests and renewed hope and confidence to me.

And I have planned a whole month dedicated to bring in the new year, connect the past with the future and glorify the gifts given to us and the inspirations that enlighten us. There would be a very special dedication to a wonderful legend, few expression of talents, and a very unique series of guest-blogs spread across the month from some really wonderful friends I met last year.

Distance, thou art strange!

It's really funny how distance plays such tricky games with our heart. Sometimes when it takes two close ones far from each other, they writh and wither in each others memory, and sometimes it becomes such a casual thing we accept it like morning after night.

I understand more than blaming distance, the onus lies on the love and dedication the two people shared betwixt them. But what when the feelings are equally true, and affection equally indepth in both the instances? I speak from my own experiences here, and of friendship- a relationship I hold truly precious and sacred in my life.

I don't know if the proverb "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" suits the instances I relate to here, because they have always remained at far flung places from me. But yes, they all have surely become important part of my existence in such a short duration that I strongly believe destiny had planned our friendship.

Cindy Ackley, Judy Yaron, Elly Stornebrink, Yatita shah, my group of co-authors from the anthology "Love stories that touched my heart", so many friends and siblings I made via facebook and in my college years! Our interactions have usually been of touch-and-go nature, and always via one telecom media or another(except for a few whom I have met for a short duration). But my friendship with each of them has clicked almost instantly, and the honesty, trust, joy, comfort and respect I share with each of them, (I know) comes from true friendship.

A personal note from me to each of them: "I don't know if we would ever meet in person, but somehow it already feels like we have, and I'm so grateful to each of you for all that you have done, have been and mean for me."

Continued in Role distance plays.