It's the end of the world (as we know it)

Escalations of violence in the Middle East.  Twinkies, the snack rumored to survive nuclear holocaust, is no longer.  Fiscal cliff looming.  I'll soon be irrevocably beyond the point where I can claim to be in my mid-twenties.

And this song keeps running through my head:

 

December 21, 2012 is two days after my 29th birthday, one day after I will probably drink too much at the company holiday party, and the day I hope to start a multi-day drive to Oregon for Christmas.  It's also the day of the winter solstice, a thing I have greatly been looking forward to in this non-daylight-saving, cold Arizona village.  I'm looking forward to the light coming back, and I believe in the power of that far more than I believe in the likelihood of John Cusack being Earth's greatest hero.

I'm far too much of a skeptic to throw in with those who believe in any Mayan predictions of coming apocalypse.  But it's one hell of a motivator.

 What if..? 

What if we had limited time, but unlimited power over our own lives and choices?

What would we do differently?

I, for one, would quit my pointless job.  Move closer to my loved ones, and the lands and ocean I keep in my heart.  I would think about what I can do in the world that would be truly meaningful - who I can teach, encourage, affect - and then I'd go and do that.  I'd eat good food, drink intoxicating things, get out into nature.  I'd read trashy books and watch all the movies I always meant to, and learn everything I could.  I'd try to laugh every day, and give credence to my dreams, and be honest and kind (though sometimes choosing between one and the other).  I'd kiss my love every day, and be thankful for the unexpected and the beautiful and the struggles and the possibilities.

And you know what?  I'm doing it, too.  Slowly, haltingly.  Sometimes with trepidation, laziness and evasive answers.  Often taking it for granted, often feeling guilty for that.  But I believe I am, as Thoreau exhorted, 'advancing confidently in the direction of my dreams.'  Moving to California feels like a step in the right direction.  The research I'm anxiously doing towards getting a Master's degree so I can teach in a classroom again is the most motivating thing I've had in my life for awhile.  Inspired by others in my life, I'm trying to be stronger, more confident, more honest - what have I got to lose?

Promethea. You must read this.

Let's focus on the "as we know it" part of the world ending.  Change is scary, and big, and unpredictable.  It's something familiar and comforting ending, sure.  But something else with such limitless possibilities beginning!  Terrifying.  But grand.  The comic book series Promethea illustrates this beautifully; "Revelations" are about changing ideas and insight as much as upheaval.

It's pretty much inevitable that things will change.  We might as well look forward to them when they do, and put our oars in the water to steer us where we'd like to go.  And anyway, we've had a good run so far...

Imagine what we can do next!