Goodbye and Hello

To quote Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” and as the curtain draws on 2011, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief that a not so pleasant year is finally coming to an end.

It’s been difficult for a variety of reasons. It has been a tough year for us all. But I know that despite it all, I’ve been one of the lucky ones. What I perceive of as being tough personally, pales in comparison to what some others have had to endure.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the luxury of not having a home destroyed, or constantly living in fear of the next “big one” or cleaning up yet another burst of liquefaction. I may not always enjoy work, but I still have a job, a roof above my head and thankfully the ability to put food on the table.

I’ve also had the good fortune to celebrate both New Zealand’s victory at the Rugby World Cup and India’s victory at the Cricket World Cup, two supremely spectacular events that brought a lot of rejoicing.

So really I ought to be celebrating. And I have celebrated, when the time was right.

But for some strange reason, tonight I don’t particularly feel like I can sustain the celebratory mood when so many around me are still enduring moments of uncertainty about their immediate future. It does force one to look within and endure moments of poignant reflection. Either that, or my “Catholic Guilt” is manifesting itself in a very persuasive manner tonight.

But whatever the deterrent, as the tide turns on 2011, I’m not going to celebrate with as much gusto as I usually do. I’m just going to be quietly thankful that I was among the lucky ones. And I’m going to wish and pray that those who have not been as fortunate get a much needed surge of strength to help them move forward into a year that brings with it much needed hope for a better and brighter future.

Good bye 2011. Welcome 2012!

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