January First 2012

I don’t usually make a big deal out of New Years Eve. I get why they call it “amateur night.” If I were to go out drinking and partying it up, I would be on the side of some wall, or hanging over a bush puking my guts out from the booze. I don’t drink well. Most people in the country ARE amateurs. They drink booze to get drunk and then forget in the morning what they did. What the hell kind of life is that? certainly not one of someone who takes their life seriously. Put em all together on New Years Eve, or worse… St. Patty’s day… and you have a real problem. Think about it… All across the world, and certainly this country, Joe Sixpack is belly up snoring getting ready to eat a half a pound of bacon to soak up the booze. I wonder how many people actually took the time to really think about something fresh and alive, something new for the year to come, and how many just slammed back another drink and wandered cross-eyed through the bar looking for someone to slobber on at the stroke of midnight…

It is January first. We should all be up in arms about it. And… even more so because it is the last year of existence of life as we know it. (that was me being facetious by the way)
The world is going to crumble this year, or perhaps the dawn of the awaking of bliss in the universe, or maybe Jesus is going to come back and tell all of his followers the truth about themselves, perhaps all of the injustices since the dawn of creation will finally be healed, or rectified. Perhaps all of the last thousands of years of hanging on the cross actually will wash away our sins. Maybe Buddha will come back as Mary Magdalene, and Jesus will come back and take her in a glorious Yabyum knot of juiciness, and then there will be balance on the planet. Maybe the whole thing will blow up! Or maybe it will be just like any other year. So many possibilities!

The stirring of the 2012 pot has been so rapid that even the children are trying to convince themselves that they believe it is going to be a positive change. But you can see it in their eyes. There is worry. They are worried because, like the animals, they know more than the average adult knows about how the universe works, and they don’t even know they know what they know. When people collectively focus on some outcome, it is almost inevitable that all of that attention is going to manifest into something. It happens every day. People create all kinds of things for themselves, and that makes easy sense, but when we all focus on some doom, or the fending off of doom, it is even easier to expect. Those who expect the doom, will find it, and those who are trying to counteract the doom will probably be nursing those who called it to themselves in the first place. I keep aspiring to keep my focus on expansion and love peppered with creativity. But it’s not so easy all the time.

I want to believe that the 2012 disaster theories are out to lunch. But the more I hear it roll off the tongues of the masses, the more padding in my helmet I need. This is going to be a crazy year. And yes… Like every day before this one, I will set intentions for a happy day and prepare for an even better tomorrow.

Last night, I tucked the kids in with the visiting puppy, climbed in with my beloved and set some intention for the year to come. What else would I feel good doing when the clock strikes midnight but loving my honey and listening to my son laugh in the distance? If I were to take an assessment of the last year, I too would say that it was rather like being raked over some really hot coals. But now… This morning, the only coals being raked are the ones in that ridiculously airtight wood stove that our dear friend gave to us.

The year 2012 might just be the best year any of us have seen. It could be awful. No one really knows- but if I base the possibilities for the year to come, on the feeling I had when the clock struck midnight, I would have to say I am feeling pretty optimistic. The chariot is still in tact, my king is beside me, the prince wears a smile, and the cat is basking in the sun in the window seat.

Losar (Tibetan New Year) is drawing near… It is (for me) far more redeeming celebration of a new beginning. The emphasis on leaving the old year behind, and greeting the new year with some Puja. Days of visits with friends and family, and tons of appreciation. More of that every day please!!!