2012 is over! Long live 2012?

I always feel odd calling it 'last year' so soon after the striking of midnight on New Year's Eve. For the sake of some expediency and a bit of laziness? I'm gonna roll with it for this blog post. So, last year was a carnival ride of ups and downs for myself and a lot of the people around me. Not the good carnival ride either but one of those broken down rides that Topeka trots out in front of the Expo Centre every year to pass off as new and exciting. Y'know, paint is dingy and old, squeaks that make every rider wonder if they're about to go through a Final Destination moment while looking at a down and out carny worker who doesn't really know much outside of starting the ride and letting it run.

But I digress, the last year forced a lot of my circle to face a few harsh truths that time shows you. Talking to a friend the other day I realized that as you get older you see more and more of the awfulness that exists in the world. You're forced to shoulder more and more burden as the people who did it before you pass into an age where it's not their weight anymore. In every family (generally) it seems like there is one person who has to really take the brunt of these responsibilities. Keeping an eye out for the people close to you for their own good, scheduling and organizing the hard meetings and appointments that have to happen and being the emotional pillar for the people who need you.

This year? It was a battle and more than most. But that talk? That talk and the events of the year opened my eyes to the fact that this is one of the truest tests of 'becoming an adult.' Sure, learning to pay your own taxes, care for your own bills and be autonomous are all things that come with the package deal of being adult. But, facing down the harsh reality of the world around you and the world at large and seeing that all of these awful, awful things are coming as an inevitability and you just have to shoulder it as best you can, one at a time? That's the real make or break for being ushered into adulthood. And 2012 brought that test hard and fast to a lot of us. The people I surround myself with have either dealt with this and survived to be strong again or have had their test this year and survived. I felt like I've truly had my fight in the adult arena this year and come out with some scars but alive. 

I think you can tell a bit of where you are in life if you can sit with friends and friends of friends and just look and listen. If they're on and on about something trivial and essentially small potatoes in the grand scheme? Then they haven't had this test yet or are in on some grand scale acting classes. If you have that moment of clarity and can see and hear that the people around you are moving forward with the burdens on their back without letting the weight crush them? You're in good company.

This year, 2013? I plan on appreciating the people around me who've endured these tests and have the strength to persevere. To enjoy their advice, company and lended strength if I need a head while I return the favor in their time of need. This year is all about seeing the good things in my life and appreciating what they truly mean while I ready my shoulders for the weight of the world, one rock at a time.

Till next time.