Syntaxtual Healing

I don't know about the rest of you, but 2012 has been a shitstorm of awful for most of the people I know. Granted, nothing supremely horrible has befallen me directly, but there have been a lot more downs than ups this year.

I've had a theory. When everyone talked about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world, I think they took it too literally. I think what the Mayans were really predicting was a year that was just filled with bad news, death, political turmoil, mutiny, pestilence...ok maybe not pestilence, but crops have been dealing with drought in the midwest, so there's that.

Let's take a look at the shitfest of the first half of 2012. You can add your own personal turmoil to the end of this list.

People Who Died (I know plenty of famous people die every year, but still...it's applicable)

Andy Griffith
Whitney Houston
Etta James
Dick Clark
Nora Ephron
Davy Jones
Maeve Binchy
Don Cornelius (riding the soul train in the sky)
Ernest Borgnine
Gore Vidal
Mike Wallace
Sherman Hemsley
Sally Ride
Ray Bradbury
Richard Dawson
Robin Gibb
Maurice Sendak
Adam Yauch
and, many, many more that either I didn't remember/find in a quick search or I didn't outright recognize.

General World Turmoil
All of the Arab Spring Movements
The Eurozone Economy
The Ridiculousness of the US Political System (aka SuperPACs and political bullshittery)


I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Jan-July 2012 has been a complete mess.

Until today, I was ready to just roll over and take it. Just let 2012 wash over me for another 5 months of craptastic news, sluggishness, and overall blah-ness. But for some reason, this afternoon, something came over me. I'm going to grab the second half of 2012 by the balls and show it who's boss.

One of the more personal things that happened to me this year was the loss of a friend. I wish I could say he was still a close friend, but despite that not being the case, his death hit me pretty hard. At his memorial service, everyone talked about how he lived live on the edge. Usually, this makes you think of someone who is reckless, foolish, etc., but Mike wasn't. Mike was generous, smart, everything you would associate as the opposite of someone who lives dangerously. But he did. He was a thrill seeker, liked fast cars and bikes, and cared about his friends as much as he did living life to the fullest. What was most jarring was that this "reckless" lifestyle isn't what caused his friends to lose him too soon.

I'm all over the place with this post, but what I'm trying to get at is that I'm going to focus on making the rest of 2012 worthwhile. I can't prevent people from dying, and I can't end world hunger or create world peace, but I can create peace for myself. I can make sure to live my life. I might not live on the edge every day, but I can inch closer, try harder, and make sure not to let life pass me by.

In summary, Suck it, Mayans, Suck it harder 2012. This bitch is about to show you what for.