Dear 2012 Chris,

2011 was quite a hectic year for me. The desperately busy work that started in 2010 extended well into this year and has only intensified since. 'Overwhelmed' seems to be the overarching feeling of 2011. Much has happened, from the March earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, to a dysfunctional Congress, the world indeed has become much less stable in recent memory. It hasn't all been bad though. On a more personal level, you've made new friends, rekindled old friendships. The Taiko community has opened up to a whole new level, and I have become a part of this growing movement. I started grad school in a good program and a good group. Whatever twists and turns may come in the near future have yet to be determined, but it is a start for now. Overall it has been a very reasonable year.

2012 seems to bear more challenges however. The dysfunction of your government will likely be exacerbated by the presidential election. Congress will make your life harder, not better. You will again lose friends to life transitions. Southern California will become lonelier because of it. Work will be more intense and more volatile towards the end of next year. I hope 2012 will be easier for you than 2011 was for me, however I don't believe that will be the case.

May you have the strength to bear action and responsibilities for the duties you shall assume in 2012.

May you have the creativity and skills to solve the problems placed before you.

May you have the courage to establish new and meaningful relationships with those around you. We have not done particularly well here in recent years, although it is not entirely your fault and neither have you entirely failed in this regard. The world outside of college is a difficult environment to make new friends unless you take specific action. May you embark on these important journeys and comport yourself with the values you hold dear. As we both know, solitude has its comforts, however it risks an unbearable loneliness that slowly eats at you from the inside out.

May you find the strength to battle your demons and the cunning to evade them.

May you find the resilience and motivation to see your duties through to the end. There are many challenges to come. Confront them honorably and honestly.

On a more corporeal level, may you better take advantage of the natural resources around you. You live in an area that many few have access to. Do not take it for granted.

May the weather be varied and without extreme. 2011 was a good year for weather, although I would still prefer more rain.

Lastly, may 2012 find more stability than 2011. Certainly, we live in a relatively stable age and place. This peace looks to be slowly unraveling however. Although these are merely the wishes of one insignificant man, I hope that at the very least, the increased volatility of our world will lead to better things.

And if it so happens that the world ends in 2012, may you be at peace with the end of this age... and when the next one begins and we're all still here... may the next age be a glorious one.

Peace be with you Brother.

C.