So long to the worst year ever! Yep, that's me, falling on my ass during a surfing lesson in Waikiki. How bad could a year be if I managed to surf in Waikiki, you ask?
The answer - uber crappy. Craptastic. Suck-o-rama. Awe-inspiringly awful. Disgusting, dispiriting, disorienting and downright disappointing.
Why? Well, death mostly. Yeah, death. Lots of it. Funerals and mourning and loss. Grief for friends, relatives, and relationships lost forever. Time and energy wasted on events and people that neither cared nor gave back. The huge black hole of death, disease, addiction, and exploitation that nearly sucked me down into its depths for good. But you know what? I'm still here. I might fall on my ass, but I'm gonna keep getting up despite scrapes from the coral, aching arms, and uncooperative waves.
Goodbye dear, strong Aunt Janet, taken by lung cancer. So long to dear, heartbreakingly funny Natalie drinking herself to death in the Rite Aid parking lot on Sunset Blvd. Friends of friends passed too soon. Another friend's father was taken by cancer.
My boss lost one of her bridesmaids to breast cancer about a month ago, and the woman's 19 year old son got up at the service and just said "FUCK CANCER!" -- to much applause. Well said! FUCK CANCER!
While we're at it: fuck tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires. Fuck alcoholism and cigarettes. Fuck George Bush, Dick Cheney and all their cohorts. Fuck war, lies, and genocide. Fuck users, exploiters, and the self centered. Fuck fear. Fuck those idiots on their cell phones in their cars who honk at you when you're waiting for an old man with a cane to cross the street. Just calm down, everyone. Put down the phone/blackberry/Ipod/mascara wand and breathe.
Hello truth. Some may find this trite, but believe me after this goddamn year it ain't. Hello peace, love, and compassion. Welcome forgiveness, belly laughs and adventure. There are many reasons still to be grateful. Thanks to family and friends who kept me from sinking too deep to find my way back to the surface. Thanks to helpful co-workers, health insurance, steady income and cheap DVDs. Thanks to that mysterious force that connects us all and gives a reason to look forward to 2006.
