Shelving 2012 - with Thanks...

I found this corny quote yesterday, on one of my social sites: “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” (Brad Paisley)

And since it’s time for my year end blog, of course it caught my eye. But then, after pondering upon it with snarky superiority, I thought: you know, he’s right! We have this blank canvas in front of us - what are we going to do with it?! Before you yawn at the platitude of that question, bear with me: do we even think about it this way – preemptively? Do we ever think: “Man, I will make good decisions every day of my life, just so I have something to talk about at the end of it”?! Not as a routine, I am sure.

Most times, we’re in the business in taking the “now” and the “here” for granted, and then crying over spilt milk, like good humans do, right?!

I was thinking: I know people who cried about, and prepared for and really believed in the End of the World that was to come last month. And when it didn’t happen – what did they do to thank (whoever?!) or celebrate the surviving?! Not much, if anything at all … How do we really celebrate or thank the universe for the simple gift that is a blank 24 hours, much less a blank 365 days?!

But this “future” business, as well as this gratitude one, is all relative, circumstantial and personal, isn’t it?! What is not relative is what did happen. And what did happen yesterday for me and the rest of the world was another year!

I have been so mad at 2012, I cannot even write about it. It has not been the happiest year of my 37 years, I would say, overall – and I have always found at least some things to be hopeful about. Maybe I am growing old and my optimism has worn off?! Who knows?! Or maybe my expectations are entirely too high, and after all I am admitting to it?! Or maybe I am just ungrateful?! Could very well be.

My sweet husband reminded me, also yesterday, however, that there are so many other tens of hundreds of things that I should be happy (not to mention grateful) about in the past year! Things like togetherness (what’s left of it), family, jobs, health (again, what’s left of it), good food, good music, and soft kitties! Things like having two eyes to see and two arms to hug small nephews. Things like skype, phones, and emails to keep us connected to the ones we love, even afar. Things like each other, and being goofy or loving to one another when life renders us sad. Just little things, you know … But all of them so worth being grateful for, as the world would be even darker without them.

The “bad” that happened in 2012 was just, for the most part, the natural course of life, I suppose. We can’t stand in its way. The trick is not to try to stop the “normal” bad, I guess, but to find enough good to able to withstand it. And the trick is indeed to find that good - to acknowledge it, rather. It’s always there.

Here’s 2012 in pictures, from Mr. Aa. Babe, you are the true gift and one of the brightest lights of last year. Thank you for finding the love and hope I could not find within myself, to string our memories together:

As for me, and for the rest of you: let’s start writing that book!

Happy New Year!