SOUL ON ICE

Monotony (def) – wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery (1).

For some, the summer of 2016 has been eventful in a number of positive ways. Traveling domestic and abroad, seeing familiar faces, getting acquainted with new ones and taking in new sights provide people with new experiences and additional perspective. For others, it has been not so good with destruction, loss, and grief permeating the atmosphere.

The theme of summer 16, on this end, is business as usual. On one hand, business as usual is cool. Prepare the same, execute the same, then do it again the next day. On the other hand, it has brought a level of repetition that borders on becoming a chore for the exact same reasons that business as usual is cool. The same reasons why the summer of 16 is cool are the same reasons why the summer of 16 is boring as hell. Trying to keep a routine, while incorporating activities to bring some life to the routine and keep days from becoming mundane, is the new challenge.

“People fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t conquer.” – Andrew Smith

“I feel like I died 20 years ago, and I live like a man who’s dead already.” – Malcolm X

Death is a fascinating concept. Everyone knows it’s coming, simply because there isn’t one person walking the face of the world who was born in the beginning of time and is still around, in their physical form, today. People are born, they live, and they die. In between, the best people can do is be as productive as possible with the time they’re given to live.

Smith’s quote makes sense in the vein that death can’t be conquered. All the weightlifting, 5Ks, half marathons and full marathons in the world isn’t going to change the fact that, eventually, everyone has an expiration date. All the clean eating in the world isn’t going to change the fact that when it's time to go, it's time to go. All the abstinence won’t change that. All the promiscuity won’t change that. All the time spent keeping up with the Joneses, or marching to the beat of your own drum won’t change that. Death has a perfect percentage from the field, a perfect batting average at the plate and the best quarterback rating in the history of life. When it comes to the education of life, it has a 4.0 GPA. It doesn’t mean a damn thing what people think about death; it’s going to happen. Malcolm’s quote is merely an extension how some people feel about life when it comes at them fast. It’s as genuine and as abrupt of a realization one can have.

Despite that, there are still not only plenty of reasons to live, but there are plenty of reasons to be prepared for your loved ones to take care of things you can’t speak on anymore or have any input on because, well, you’re dead. On top of that, it gives a person an opportunity to learn. It gives a person an opportunity to plan post-life circumstances, how to approach death, planning a funeral, a will, all of the stuff that comes along with post-life. Admittedly, this idea came from the courage of Mark Trible, one of the best writers and thinkers in the universe and someone who did this in the middle of 2015 (1). His story, his words, and his vision provides what this is all about.

Summer of '16 and confronting monotony

Embracing death