Auld Lang Syne

When you work in the hospitality industry, you grow accustomed to giving up your holiday to work for those celebrating theirs. I can't remember the last time I didn't work on my birthday, anniversary, kid's birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Labor Day etc... However, I have never had to work on New Years. I think having a holiday all to my own has led me to celebrate it in years past.

This year I had no interest in making anything special out of the coming year. I debated all day yesterday if I had truly become the fuddy-duddy I feared. How did this happen? When did I decide that I actually prefer to sleep through the New Year? When did I get so boring that the thought of being at a New Year's party actually sounded like a form of torture? No matter how I tried to scare myself out of it, I just couldn't fake an interest in any sort of celebration. This, my friends, is the mid-life crisis I dread. I might as well start to wear to bladder control garments...aging, afterall, is a slippery slope.

To my surprise, I am not as bad off as I thought. I think I may have had the best New Years celebration a girl could ask for...doing nothing that much different than I always do: hanging out with my family and friends. You see, everyday is New Years when your husband is your best friend, when your sister lives next door, when dining with your Mom and Dad isn't any special occasion, and your closest friends live within earshot. Swapping stories and howling in hysterics with those who love you most is the best way to bid farewell to a difficult year and welcome a new one. Sure, we were all in bed by 11pm, but friends that thick don't need to see a ball drop to know it has been one hell of a year. Truth is, we (friends and family mentioned above) have lived through some big stuff in 2005 and I wouldn't have wanted to share such a year with anyone else.

Maybe it does mean I am old and boring but these people in my life are far more memorable than any party I have ever been to.

Happy New Year.