T-minus 5 days to the end, what will you do?

With the prospect of the end upon us, we are afforded the opportunity to take a deeper look at our lives than we might normally be willing to do. I realized as I was making plans for 2013, that I was reminded, I just don't know what's going to happen. But is this only specific to the end of the Mayan calendar?

The truth is, we never know what's going to happen. Any day could be the last day, for us and humanity. We live in these little bubbles that tell us we know how things work. We are smart and we have it all figured out. Not only that, but we are in control, and that nothing is going to happen to us. But this just isn't the case. No one expects that something bad is going to happen, nor should they.

There seems to be a middle ground here, that says that we shouldn't expect that something bad will happen, but we should still hold the validity of uncertainty and impermanence. Can you accept that the world might end in just a few days? I don't personally believe that it will, and I have a feeling that most of you feel the same way, but what a wonderful reminder it has been for me, that by all means, it could.

It always could, but it seems that we need a date shrouded with prophesy before we can wake up to the fact that this is always the case. We tend to think that life is something that is so solid, and we carry on like the sun will always rise tomorrow. But what if it doesn't? As a kid, I remember saying the prayer before I would fall asleep, "and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." I remember actually contemplating that on a regular basis, that every time I fell asleep, I might not wake up.

But now, something has changed. I seem to just expect that tomorrow will come and that I will be there, for better or worse. I think, like most people, we have just seen so many days come and go that we sort of forget about the uncertainty. We forget that it could all be over in an instant, and even though we are always hearing things like "live everyday as if it was your last," we still don't seem to believe it.

And why should we? What we know is based on our observations from our own life experience. For example, we have observed that every day, the sun rises and sets again. So we can make the assumption that this will continue to happen everyday. It seems so solid, that we can't help but to take it for granted. We ourselves have gone to bed and risen again the next morning, every single time, have we not? So that sense of uncertainty that I had as a kid, and you may have had as well, just sort of gets buried and on top of it we build a mountain of security.

So yes, we shouldn't take our lives for granted. We should be grateful for all that we have and never miss an opportunity to tell someone we love them. We should do all of those typical things they say we should do about embracing life and living to the fullest. And now, with just 5 days left on the Mayan calendar (what time zone is that valid for, by the way?), we have a slightly more real threat than we have on any other day.

So when you are planning for New Years Eve, and you just can't wait, maybe you can stop and acknowledge the fact that you might not make it. You just don't know, and you never will. Even if the world doesn't end, any of us could have their lives taken before that day comes.

For me, planning to take a trip on January 1st, I find myself very neutral about it. Yes, I still want to be prepared and do my research, but I really don't expect that I'm going to make it. I know there are a million things that need to go right to allow me to go. And having just returned last month from Myanmar, I can think back to the weeks leading up to that trip, and my mentality was much different. It was like I knew for sure that I was going to Myanmar. It turns out that I was right, but that was based on an assumption that all those little things that had to go right to get me there, would go right. The trip to the airport, getting through the checkpoints, a safe flight, being allowed through immigration. Or, I could have been killed the day before while crossing the street, or from a brain aneurysm.

The challenge to us all is to stop taking life for granted. Stop believing the lie that there's always tomorrow, or next year. When you make a plan, know that it's only a possibility. Instead of thinking that something won't go wrong, think of all the things that have to go right, in order for your plan to be possible. When you see all the things that have to go right everyday, you will see life as a miracle, and a very fragile one at that. You will see that this life is precious, and that although we've had it everyday, we will all die someday, and no one knows when. Maybe, it will be in 5 days, on December 21st, or maybe, that will just be another day. Even if it is, many people will still die on that day, and for them, it will prove to be the end of days.

So no, I'm not planning to do anything special on this countdown, other than keep this in mind that my future is uncertain. I'm not planning to live it up, to go to some end of the world party, and dance all night in celebration of a new era. I want to celebrate by opening my heart to the mystery of the world, to remind myself that everything is always changing, and that my time on this earth is but a blink in time. But by all means, take this opportunity and do something, treat everyday as if it were Thanksgiving. Do whatever you've always wanted to do. Express yourself in the fullest. Don't wait until it's too late.

In this way, we shouldn't be afraid to entertain thoughts about disaster, because they will help us pop that little bubble that says nothing will ever happen to us Something will happen to us, it's just a matter of when.

And with that, I want to say that I love each and everyone of you. You are my friends and family, whether we know each other well or not. It has been a wild ride, and I have no regrets. Feeling blessed on T-minus 5 days to the end of the world, and hope you are too!