Its that time of the year again. While everyone is looking forward to new beginnings I am reflecting on the time bygone.Have I wasted a precious year of my life or do I have something to show for it?

It’s a habit which was inculcated in early childhood.  Dad, who is a major influence, would say that   the first day of the new year is not as important as the last day of the passing year. That ,it  is not a time for resolutions and promises but of self assessment and  reflection.I can still hear my dad asking us what we had  learnt in the entire year. When I was in school and later, in medical college the answer was  easy and effusive. There was so much to  learn and imbibe.

While he would applaud our accomplishments ,dad would  emphasise that the trick was to keep learning even after  formal education ended.  His exact words were , and I quote, “If you haven’t learnt  something worthwhile , acquired  a new skill or changed a major opinion, then you have wasted the whole  year”

And so I  try. Each year I try to add something new to my repertoire of skills. Apart from the constant  learning that medical profession entails  I have learnt  multi-cuisine cooking ,  public speaking, exotic  gardening, glass painting and macrame , bonsai and origami, aerobics and yoga ……..  Let me just stop there  and  say that this list is representative and not exhaustive!! 

Not all my learning experiences were fruitful though. I took dance classes twice but can’t dance to save my life. I attended driving school thrice but am afraid of getting behind the wheel.  Above all modern  technology seems to be my pet peeve. As soon as I acquaint myself with some software it is upgraded to a more ‘user- friendly’  version which I have to painstakingly relearn.  But because I firmly  believe that being tech savvy is not the sole right of youngsters ,  I trudge on. Over the years I have learnt basics of windows,   power point  presentations and video making

Why do I have to obsessively follow an instruction which my father casually gave when I was a child ? Why do I, a middle aged mother, still care for his approval? Its because dad teaches by example . He was the oldest in his class when he learnt basic computers a decade ago. Nearing eighty, this year, he gleefully learnt how  to take and upload selfies!!  This, despite the fact that, with advancing age, it takes him longer to learn a new skill than  forget it

As this year reaches its fag end, I am running out of time. I have yet to acquire a new skill , something meaningful. The fact is that I have spent most of the year catching up with old friends and attending family reunions . I have  realised that the best friends are the ones acquired early in life  .  You can tell them everything ,  hide nothing and together, laugh about it. There is no need for false pretences and elaborate facades. Similarly, although you can’t  choose your relatives they are an integral part of you.  They  know   you  for real and are okay with it.   I spent the year refreshing these old bonds  . A little effort was required to work out the logistics but the result was worth it  . Some of us were meeting after decades and yet, we effortlessly picked up from where we had left off .The reunions made me happy and kept me  smiling  foolishly for days.  They had  an instant  de-stressing and rejuvenating effect. 

I just realised, this counts too.  2014 is the year I reconnected with old friends and family and learnt to nurture  old relations . A very important life skill ….. dad would agree !!