It's the End of the World

I walked around the lake this morning.  The sky was overcast, enough to keep the air cool, just enough that the sun broke through when we needed a burst of warmth.  The wind pushed sailboats across the water, but it only tried to take my hat once or twice:

This guy was singing:

The geese were out and about with their babies, joining the humans winding their ways around the lake path:

It wasn't a bad start to a day that wasn't supposed to happen.  Certain people had pinned the world's end to occur yesterday, at 6 p.m. local time via earthquake and mass destruction.  I won't provide links, because I think this person has had too much publicity.  It is harmful to entice others to shed themselves of worldly goods and await Rapture, especially when you have made millions of dollars from their contributions to your cause.  There are those for whom the world did end yesterday.  I'm sorry for that and don't want to minimize the suffering of those who are truly Left Behind.

On the other hand, such a bold prediction of doom begs for a bit of fun.  Most of us decided that, if it was our last day, we wouldn't rush to clean our houses.  (There were a few dissenters.  I was not among them.)  I was hoping that the Big Event would co-ordinate with the Zombie Apocalypse, as this would provide an opportunity for me to test the Zombie Preparedness Kit I'm putting together for my next Rav swap.  I rushed to the Liquor Store on the way home from work and bought an expensive Italian organic white wine.  I thought it would come in handy whatever the outcome of the prediction; unfortunately I was too tired to untwist the bottle cap in celebration.

End of Time predictions can give us pause.  They give us an opportunity to focus on what we would do if we knew this was our last day.  I used the reflection as a meditative exercise.  As the day passed and I kept busy spinning, knitting, shifting yarns, helping people in the store and visiting with other fibre enthusiasts, I tried to be aware of how I would most like to spend this final moment.  My conclusion-I want to do exactly what I'm doing now, surrounded by people I know and love, who share my interests or who don't, but love me anyway.  The life I have now is the best life.  That's a pretty good thought to hold as we march to the end of time.

If only we can keep the Earth going for a few days more, I'll have time finish "Iris," (details may or may not be forthcoming), sample that wine and enjoy the joke Mr. DD just told me:

What did Buddha say to the hot dog vendor?
Make me One with everything.

Enjoy the NOW.