It means listening to that playlist or that
song without feeling like you’re opening a wound. It means not being swallowed by
sadness but enjoying a bittersweet nostalgia instead. It means saying “I’m
happy for you” without a sudden rise in pitch. It means looking forward to
what’s next. It means shooing away the shoulda-woulda-couldas,
what-could-have-beens, and what-ifs.
It means finally accepting everything that
has ended. It means smiling in your head, while remembering the bliss of the
moments while they lasted. It means looking back, but not with regrets. It
means your year is coming. It means “own it.”
So.
Not to the banging end of a lousy 2011 but
of an eventful year. Not to the mistakes and failures, but to the “learning
experiences.” Not to the evil bosses, but to the higher self-worth you
developed. Not to the opportunities you missed, but to the risks you took. Not
to the oppressors, but to the gallant fighters. Not to the friend you lost, but
to the memories you created. Not to getting your heart broken, but to having
friends to run to when it did. Not to the love that has finally ended, but to
the relationship you built with yourself.
To the long stares. To looking away. To
taking his hand. To letting go. To knowing it’s not yours to take.
To music . (Of course, to music.) To getting drunk. To swearing it will not
happen again. To getting drunk with good company. To dancing. To not getting drunk with good company. To the love-hate
relationships. To loving like a child. To growing up.
To the circus of life and the magic. To the
summer in the city and youth. To
creating art and relationships. To being independent but dependent to good
friends. To living life on the edge and challenging yourself. To compromising
safety for the joy of learning. To all things beautiful. To cliches, and
creating new cliches. CHEERS.
