According to the Mayans, December 21, 2012 is the end of the world. They based this prediction on their study of the cycles of the sun. Of course we've heard this story before. Remember the mass hysteria around Y2K? Come January 1, 2000 we all breathed a sigh of relief and had a good chuckle.
Originally this post was going to be about hosting a funny Doomsday Party. I had all kinds of tips about inviting your favourite people to spend the last night on earth with you; to eat the most decadent foods, consume way too much wine and then kiss your friends square on their apocalips. When you greeted guests you could say tongue-in-cheek things like, "Arm-a-geddon you a drink or what?" You'd share stories about the good times while R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World" played in a continuous loop in the background.
Funny, right?
But not really. In light of recent events, it really feels like the end of the world as we know it. And frankly, I don't feel much like partying.
I did a little research about this whole December 21st apocalypse thing and now I'm sitting here wondering why, why must I Google shit like that? I'm already a worrier cursed with doomsday tendencies and an over-active imagination. Reading about solar flares and natural disasters and a potential third world war (oh hello Korea) and the disturbing accuracy of past oracles, is dangerous information for me to have.
And so I scrapped the post. Now is not the time to be making jokes about 'Doomsday Paté' and 'Solar Flare Flambés.'
Or is it?
Life is short. We never really know how much time we have. What I do know is that I'll be spending the night with friends. It also happens to be my husband's birthday. (Yes, there have been a lot of jokes about the anniversary of his birth coinciding with the apocalypse.)
Whatever you do, spend time with those who matter. Tell them you love them. Indulge, laugh, remember those we've lost and look ahead with optimism and kindness in your heart.
Life as we know it has been forever changed. But try not to let it scare you (because it really, really scares me). Instead, look for the good and hold onto that. And try to remember that for the most part, we can't control what happens; we can only control how we react and how we treat each other today.
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