It’s funny I am talking about New Year when it’s almost mid-February already. The other day while humming to a tune, I went back to a conservation I had with a friend during New year’s eve. She asked me what I will be doing while waiting for 2020 to come. I told her I will just sleep, like what I always do. She then told me that by sleeping on a New Year’s Eve, I am missing a lot. But apart from the changing year, what is there really to miss?
I have always slept on New Year’s Eve for as long as I can remember. I am not really the type who waits for the midnight to come, review how my year went by and come up with resolutions. During the long Christmas-New Year vacation, I literally shut down as it is the only time I get legit rest from all the craziness in Manila and from work.
Growing up though, I loved waiting for the year to change. My dad loved setting up fireworks and my brothers and I always look forward to the bright lights. My dad also loved singing ( I actually got my singing talent from him!) and because the Christmas-New Year vacation was also his longest vacation, he would usually set-up the karaoke during New Year’s Eve. We would sing our hearts out until the wee hours of the morning. We never got tired of singing Cascades, James Ingram, Carpenters, Air Supply, and the Beatles songs. Until now, they are still my go to songs in karaoke.
But New Year’s after my dad’s death were never the same. Even my mom just usually sleeps on Dec 31. To me, sleeping became an excuse to grow taller until I actually stopped growing and started to use the excuse of much needed “break”. We are still thankful though for the year that went by. We still hope for a better year. Awake or not, personally, I feel this is still the perspective that matters the most.
A Thoughtful Paper 