Writers and Bloggers: The world is not going to end in 2012, so stay on task

The end of the to do list

There are times when I wish I’d get to the end of my to do list. And then I think about what that would mean. Nothing to do? Sorry, that’s not going to happen, because I’m a writer. Even if I could go sit in a chair on the dock with nothing on my calendar, I would dream up ideas and have to write them down.

The other night I had a conversation with a guy who thinks the world, (or at least the sacred “American way of life”) is doomed in 2012. If he were correct, that would certainly herald the ultimate end of my list.

Alas for the doomsayers, the world is not going to end in 2012

Having lived through a number of these supposed penultimate – Store food in the basement! Learn to shoot! Stockpile money in the mattress!  – times, I’m not getting my knickers in a twist this year either. The world will go on. We’ll have our turn to be sketched by artists wearing purple shoes in the grand museums of the future. (Though we’ll likely be depicted with paste on grins, taking our own photos with our cell phones.)

My opinion is backed up by the smart folks at NASA. They’ve dedicated a page of their website to, not debunking, but explaining why the various end of days scenarios that people are worrying about are non-starters.

Still Accountable

So here’s my accountability report, as I press on toward my goal, which may take until well beyond the end of 2012:

What I did:

• I managed to post twice to Tidal Life, on the 18th and the 22nd. So that’s something. Check out the video of the spectacular murmuration over the River Shannon.
• Did some minor tweaking toward optimization following an interesting post by Peep Laja of Conversion XL.
• I’ve got some excuses to make. First, like so many others, I had to get Mom’s Christmas present finished. I created a memory book of our October trip to Europe for her. So that she has more than just the breathtaking American Express bills to remember that two weeks by. (In case you didn’t know, the dollar’s overseas buying power sucks just now.)

That project took all my evenings so I didn’t get much writing/blogging done. I did work on my piece about the Giant’s Causeway, though it’s still not ready.

Then I learned about the tragedy that befell the family of popular South Whidbey metal artist Tim Leonard, whose iconic sculptures are found all over Langley and Freeland. On Christmas Day the Leonards were heading to Christmas dinner when a limb, torn from a large fir tree by the wind, landed on their car. Tim’s neck was broken and his nine year old daughter Zippy, was killed. It must have felt, to all of them, that the world was indeed ending. But Tim’s coming home tomorrow, and I’ve heard he has no paralysis.

It’s been hard to concentrate. The question of what’s really important keeps rising in my mind.

What I’m working on learning:

• To keep going toward what I know is a worthy goal, despite circumstances, despite sadness.
• Despite appearances the world isn’t ending, so stay on task.

Local residents who would like to help the Leonard family with expenses can contribute to The Tim Leonard Family Fund at Whidbey Island Bank.