Of New Years and Old Ways

Happy New Year folks!

Now that the anticipation, the waiting, the feeling that something special would happen at the stroke of twelve (and it doesn't) is over, I can start looking at other things related to the years - the one that was and the one that will be.

The past year was good. Oh man so good...well, for obvious reasons. And if I can still say that it is good that we've married, then you can deduce that all is well in paradise right now :) Fingers crossed! The future, however, is scary. Just like it had been for 2011. It had been scary when it started, with too many challenges to face. So since my feelings about 2012 are similar, I am hoping this would be a good year too.

Last year, S did the unthinkable. He 'rightfully' got permission for me to spend the New Year's eve at P's place (other years I have sneaked out on some pretext or other). I felt liberated all of a sudden. I didn't have to fib or hide anything. And I could enjoy the evening with my friends without having to worry about the consequences if people at home came to know of my er...deceit. And as the clock had struck twelve to bring in 2011, with S by my side and all my dear friends grinning happily, I knew already that 2011 was going to be special.

2012 came in without us being overly sensitive to it. We were all on a mad trip around the Pictionary board, fighting, arguing, laughing so hard that tears ran down the eyes, when suddenly someone pointed out that its merely  half an hour to the new year. We had big plans of 'bursting' crackers to bring in the new year. But I'm being too optimistic here. 'Burst' is just not the word. It should be 'lighting' crackers. Well, what could one expect when the people bringing these crackers had children who were too young to appreciate them? The result? A bunch of macho guys and ahem...svelte women were left holding sparklers and trying hard to look cool lighting flower pots and chakras. The saving grace was a bomb which our benevolent friends were quick to warn was too loud and also that it had a short fuse. So much was the hype created that we were saving it for twelve to make a big bang into 2012. Well, when we did light it (and I must say it was with a lot of apprehension) the darn thing was less noisier than a gun shot. Sigh.

Well, all things considered, I don't think I'd have had it any other way. True to our image, we hogged our way through yummy chicken starters, hot crepes, masala peanuts and pappads, chilli cheese toasts and garlic bread. Whew and we tried working the food off with a game of Pictionary that was so full of cheating, that one of the young ones couldn't help shouting at the elders - 'Be honest!' And after the new year was in, we trudged back to the house for more food and drinks.

I can already see what this year is going to be like. Exactly how the old year has been. Lots of evenings spent at our close knit group's houses, eating sumptuous starters and creative main courses, dancing to the season's newest hits; having boisterous evenings and lazy vacations, going on trips where we let our inner 'not-so-sweet' selves out to breathe a bit and then blithely carry on with living our 'goody' people's lives. There are going to be additions to our group, probably a few subtractions. There might be new challenges to face and happy times to share. But through all these episodes, the common thread that ran through 2011 will run somehow into 2012 too. A bunch of people will be somehow happy to share our lives - with all its quirkiness - with us. And thank god for such crazy people!

Thank God, 2012 will be the same as last year.