So here we still are. The world did not end. Obviously, the Mayans’ calendar was way off. Their entire reputation is shot to hell and my their super abilities in mathematics are now called into question. Thanks a lot ancestors! Really? Was it too much to ask? You could have just left us with your beautiful carvings, pyramids and the mystery of your disappearance to confound the archeologists and the scientists for all time. But no! You had to put out a (bunny ears gesture) – deadline. Someone’s ego in the astronomy department just got too big. I hope that somewhere in the Mayan afterworld someone is getting a good talking to.
On 12/21/2012 I went about my day as normal. But, just in case the end of the world were to come with a big announcement, akin to “attention shoppers”, I was a teensy bit more aware of strange sounds or smells that day (don’t ask). That morning when I heard a distant hum in the distance grow louder, I thought, “Could this be it?” It was just a Korean Air airplane descending into Dulles Airport. On the metro, when a strange smell overwhelmed me and caused me to become nauseated, I thought, “Oh, this could be the end.” It was just the metro car’s musty aroma mixing with the stench of 100 burnt tires in the station. All normal.
The day continued and ended just as it started. But, as midnight approached and I realized the uniqueness of the date, I went to my window to look at the sky. At 11:59 p.m., I looked at how bright the moon was, and how it lit my cul-de-sac even though it was only a half-moon. The clouds were flying in front of it as if they were late to an appointment. It was strangely peaceful, like at the end of something. It was the end of a special date that will not ever repeat in human history. It was a day of deaths and births, joys and pains, triumphs and failures, beginnings and ends. It was life on a small, unique and wonderful blue planet in a vast and boundless universe. And I felt immensely grateful to be part of this day and this time, and to share the earth with the people who are in it. I heard myself say “thank you.”
My FIOS box struck midnight, and the day was gone. I wondered how many more people in the world were looking at the sky at that moment and feeling what I was feeling. How many of us were influenced by 12-21-12 to think of ourselves in the context of a much larger picture and to be aware of how small we truly are. I appreciated having this perspective but don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it. Time will teach me, but I am thankful to be filled with gratitude.
I would like to publicly apologize to my Mayan ancestors for the comments I made earlier. I am sure that some Mayan spell checker or American archeologist is to blame for the error. Maybe it was just a typo and the date is really 12-21-2112. Actually, doesn’t that make more sense? Remember, you read it here first.
Much Love,
Yaya Speaks 