The coming of the apocalypse is a topic no stranger to most. After the (uneventful) passing of the Y2K bug at the turn of the millennium, it didn't take long for modern civilization to latch on to a new doomsday theory. Amongst the many, 2012 was the most famous theory and even then there were countless possible scenarios that could play out the end of days for us.
It is now December 22, 2012; the day after the 'end'. The sun shone this morning brighter than yesterday, and people were about doing their usual Saturday morning affairs. The skies have cleared from the massive downpour of the night before, and were it not for the mud stains on my car, even the rain seemed like a distant memory. If yesterday was meant to remembered in history, personal or otherwise, it definitely had nothing to do with the destruction of civilization as we knew it. Disappointing? Maybe. That on its own would make a topic worthy of the coffee table, so I shall not indulge it further.
All was not lost. Amidst the growing anticipation of believers and non-believers of the end of days, life moved on like the unrelenting flow of time. Matters that I hinged my hopes on came to a surprising fruition, with a dose of events that I deemed absurd or unlikely to ever occur contributing as a balancing factor for the day.
If anything, yesterday was a great day of reflection. It has been a while since I pondered over the value of the simpler things in life, and a much needed jolt restored that perception. As jarring as it may have been, I am glad for every moment that occurred on this day. Even the seemingly bad things in the day had a positive perspective to them if I just took a moment and stepped back.
Bad things happen; that's just as true as saying good things happen. They are both valid events in our lives. Us humans have a tendency to yearn for the good, yet how many among us are really grateful for every moment of good bestowed to us? On the opposite spectrum, we tend to wish away the bad, yet we respond more strongly to such events. How often do we ask the question "What is the upside to this?" when something bad happens? I am in the opinion that it won't always have a reassuring answer, but I also believe it will be positive more times than not if we just spare a moment to reflect.
On this day, I was reminded that when a bad thing happens, it *has* happened. No amount of worrying or cursing will change that fact. The only thing I could do is, take a step forward and live the present with what it has to offer. If the past were to bring more hurdles, leave them to be handled as they come... for at least I now know what will come. Accept the past, live the moment, and embrace the future. I have preached this to myself throughout my years, but having life remind me about their simple truths has humbled me. For that, I am grateful indeed. For the great things that happened on the same day, I acknowledge them and cannot wish for more. I suppose I got what I needed and not necessarily what I wanted. Those too I will accept wholeheartedly as what they were.
Accept the past...
Live the moment...
Embrace the future...
- Me, Dec 22 2012
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