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Choice, Creating moments, Doomsday, Mayan 2012

What if the Mayan’s are Right?

Mona Alvarado Frazier
Is December 21, 2012 the End or just a new winter solstice? Is it another Y2K or cause to start worrying? Just because the Mayan’s calendar ends on that date in 2012 doesn’t mean the world ceases to exist.

Besides running out of space, maybe their calendar maker died or the chisel was lost. Or the new calendar tumbled down the steps of the Chichen-Itza? The reason for the calendar ending in 2012 may be as simple, and most probably, the beginning of a new b’ak’tun (cycle).

A pending doomsday can be a start of panic, worry, and negativity we don’t need or it can be a start of a fresh cycle or a new dawn. A personal doomsday could come to us after a cancer diagnosis, the death of a loved one, a near fatal accident, a broken heart. All of these could be your personal doomsday or your personal wake-up call. It depends on your perspective.

How would you live your life if the Mayan calendar were correct? How would you live if you received crushing news from a doctor or a loved one? What would crystallize in your mind if you had one year left to live? After the shock wears off where would you begin? Many questions, I know. The answers make for movies like “The Bucket List” and “Last Holiday.”

Most of you, hopefully, would spend as much of your time as possible doing what’s most meaningful, joyful and fulfilling. You’d hug your kids more, visit your parent(s) more, try out new things, love deeply, sing, dance, laugh, or write letters for loved ones. Others might travel, quit their job and/or take a chance to do that thing they’ve wanted to do for several years (start or finish their novel).

Whichever choice we make, and it is a choice, would we live in the grace of the moment? There are multitudes of these moments in each hour, day, week, and month. Could we enjoy the flowers on a daily walk, touch bases with an old friend, watch the sky for one minute while the sun sets, turn off the television and go play with the kids or the dog? We can do this now. There is no reason to wait until a personal or speculative doomsday.

We only have this time, this one life, these strings of minutes to weave into patches of days and years, and create a comforting blanket to cover ourselves with when we pass on.

With the New Year upon us, and a new cycle, I hope you create the life you want and enjoy the moments.
bad shopping experiences, recycling experiences, Target

Shopping Daze in Target

Mona Alvarado Frazier

I don’t know about you but I hate shopping. I’m a necessity shopper: like food, hygiene, or something broke and I can’t repair it. That’s why I did 80% of my Christmas shopping online. That’s why I shop early in the morning. Crowds irritate me. Costco after 11 a.m. gives me the jitters. I don’t shop on weekends or holidays.



Usually works too, except today. Everyone and their grandma’s were in the grocery stores and Target. I had to get out and buy food for the week because there were no more tamales. Everyone in the family wants to ‘detox’ from all the fatty/sugary foods we ate in the last two week. School begins again tomorrow and one of the kids needed some school supplies. I ran out of folders to organize my writing. I loaded up my Trader Joe’s and other fabric bags and took my coffee with me. 


Today was particularly bad. First, I had to wear my yoga pants because my jeans were too tight. Second, I had to chose a long blouse to hide the stomach chub that grew an inch or two. And then, the stores had more shoppers than I can remember on a January 2nd. Lines were ten people deep on all of the open registers. And at my last stop…


I got the cranky, rude cashier. She wouldn’t put my purchases in my recycled Target bags-although, she pointed out on the cash register tape, “I gave you .15 cents credit for your 3 bags.” That wasn’t the issue. It’s a matter of resources. She sighed and ignored me, then looked to the next customer. I didn’t want to hold up the huge line or unpack the humongous red Christmas Target bag. I did not want to go off in front of my teenage daughter. What would happen is she’d roll her eyes and walk away from me or get into it with the cashier too.  It’s only January 2nd, let’s start the new year right, right?


Cranky cashier pushed Santa’s red plastic bag onto the side counter and pointed me to the recycle bin where my used Target bags could be recycled. My mind kept repeating, “Keep calm, take care of this later with a manager.” Couldn’t find a manager.


The red bag was overstuffed and too heavy to lift into my trunk without my daughter’s assistance. It tore when we got home. Before I did anything else, I called Target and expressed my concern (complained) to a manager. He was perplexed, because “we care for the environment. Did you get your .15 cents?” 


Oh-Kay, let’s leave it at that. No more shopping at that particular Target. I registered a complaint on the phone, online and now I’m letting it go.